Facing the diagnosis of breast cancer and the challenging treatment procedures is an extremely stressful experience. Feelings such as anxiety, depression, and fear may begin to exist in the patient’s mind with the diagnosis of breast cancer. Young women diagnosed with cancer may face challenges that affect their entire lives with psychological and physical effects. At this stage, maintaining psychological resilience is very important. Psychological resilience is the ability to maintain normal functioning or return to a previous state when faced with difficulties. The impact of psycho-oncological support in adapting to treatment is significantly important. This process should continue even after the patient has recovered; psycho-oncological support should not be discontinued immediately after recovery. It may be necessary for breast cancer patients to seek professional support to protect their psychology.
What Are the Psychological Stages of the Patient in Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, with 2.3 million new cases diagnosed each year. Women’s breasts serve various purposes such as providing nourishment for their offspring, being an erotic organ in relationships, and symbolizing femininity. When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she may feel hopeless, tearful, ashamed, and discouraged due to society’s behavior towards breast cancer patients. Depression can lead to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and lack of motivation to cope with life in individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. These feelings can create difficulties in coping with the challenges brought by the disease. Young women living with breast cancer may experience more severe depression compared to older women. These women have physical, psychological, and social concerns that require special care from a multidisciplinary health professional.
The psychological stages of the patient in breast cancer can be divided into five. These stages can be listed as the denial stage, anger stage, bargaining stage, depression stage, and acceptance stage. To summarize these stages briefly:
- Denial stage: The person denies the illness and has difficulty accepting the existence of the disease. In this stage, the person may use sentences like “Why me? This cannot happen to me.”
- Anger stage: In this stage, the person tends to blame those around them for feelings they cannot cope with. They may exhibit aggressive behaviors. These behaviors arise from the person’s attempt to control their feelings.
- Bargaining stage: In this stage, sentences starting with “I wish” are prioritized. Patients enter into various agreements with those around them and within their inner world in an effort to change reality. This situation indicates the beginning of acceptance.
- Depression stage: Intense grief and isolation can be observed in the depression stage. As awareness increases, these symptoms may lessen.
- Acceptance stage: This is the final stage of the psychological universe. Emotions are resolved. It is the stage where the disease is accepted and left to flow, adapting to living with the disease, treatment, and recovery process.
What Is the Importance of Psychological Support in Breast Cancer Treatment?
Although the main treatment protocol for breast cancer consists of pharmacological methods, psycho-oncological support plays a significant role in treatment. Studies have proven that psychological support is fundamental to treatment pathways in breast cancer. Individuals’ mental health, adherence to treatment, and belief in recovery can be increased with psychological support. It is important for patients to be supported by psychotherapy, which is an external support mechanism, in the difficulties they encounter during the treatment and recovery process. Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is an important stress factor. Additional problems may arise due to this stress factor. In this context, it has been observed that psycho-oncological support reduces stress and increases the quality of life in breast cancer patients.
Who Can Receive Psychological Support in Breast Cancer?
Every patient diagnosed with breast cancer can seek psycho-oncological support. Psycho-oncological support is important not only for mental health issues but also for helping patients and their relatives manage the process better. Such support can have various benefits for the patient and the recovery process. Psycho-oncological support is an important factor in improving patients’ psychological and emotional health. Patients who have just been diagnosed, those who have started the breast cancer treatment process, those in the post-treatment phase, patients with metastatic breast cancer (metastatic breast cancer is when breast cancer spreads to areas of the body outside the original site. This spread occurs when cancer cells reach other organs, such as the lungs, liver, bones, or brain, through the blood or lymph.) and family members of the patient can be briefly listed.
Should Family Members of Breast Cancer Patients Also Receive Psychological Support?
Family members and those around the patient may also experience emotional stress and sadness. The psycho-oncological support that family members receive enables them to participate in the patient’s recovery process, which can positively contribute to the patient. Therefore, both cancer patients and their relatives receiving psychological support play an important role in helping both individuals and the family cope with this challenging process more healthily.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Cope with Emotional Reactions After Receiving a Breast Cancer Diagnosis?
Accepting this process after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis can be quite complex and stressful. During this period, it is quite likely for the patient to experience feelings of shock, denial, anger, and non-acceptance of the situation. It is important for the patient to accept these feelings and start treatment, as it shapes how the treatment process will progress. Seeking help from family members, people around them, or health professionals is an important factor that positively affects the recovery process. The patient’s gaining information about the disease and adapting to this process is one of the key points of coping strategies.
Why Are Morale, Psychology, and Motivation Important in Cancer?
The importance of morale, psychology, and motivation in breast cancer is quite high. A balanced emotional state positively affects adherence to treatment and stress management. Ensuring both the physical and emotional well-being of the patient can increase the likelihood of successful treatment outcomes.
What Methods Are Recommended to Reduce Stress and Anxiety During Cancer Treatment?
Joining support groups created for patients undergoing cancer treatment, engaging in non-exhaustive physical activities, maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, establishing a regular sleep routine, taking up hobbies, and participating in artistic activities are primary methods aimed at reducing anxiety.
What Are the Common Misconceptions About Psychology in Breast Cancer Treatment?
There are many misconceptions about the importance of psychological support in breast cancer treatment today. Among these are thoughts such as psychological support having no effect on recovery, being important only in the final stage of the disease, seeking psychological support being a sign of weakness, and psychological support not being important during the treatment process, only being necessary after treatment. Another importance of psychological support in cancer treatment lies in seeking support before the problem arises, not after it occurs. Thus, we can manage the cancer process more effectively.
Is It Normal to Experience Depression and Anxiety During the Treatment Process? What Steps Should Be Taken?
Depression and anxiety are feelings that may be experienced during the treatment process. The diagnosis of breast cancer, the treatment process, and the post-treatment process can be challenging both physically and emotionally. It is important to develop coping skills against these situations. Seeking support from health professionals, participating in group therapies, taking up hobbies, engaging in exercises that do not cause physical fatigue, and maintaining communication with the social environment are important steps that will increase the patient’s adaptation to this process.
How to Cope with Body Image and Self-Esteem Issues After Surgery?
It is quite normal for the patient to experience body image and self-esteem issues after surgery. Having a good and balanced psychological state during this process helps in coping with self-esteem issues. There are various prosthetic options available for aesthetic recovery. Specially designed bras and clothing can make the patient feel more confident and better after surgery. Paying attention to self-care positively affects the body image. Post-operative psychotherapy is one of the most important factors in the adaptation process for the patient to accept themselves as they are.
What Role Does Family Support Play During Breast Cancer Treatment?
Breast cancer treatment is a long and challenging process. Patients need the support of their loved ones during this process. Family members can positively influence the recovery process by encouraging the patient. Encouraging words, being in a positive mood, can contribute to the recovery process. It is very important for family members to support the patient’s self-care and participate in this process together. The development of the relationship between the patient and the family plays a motivating role. An empathetic approach, understanding the patient’s feelings, and providing psychological support can create positive effects.
In Which Situations Is Psychological Support Needed?
Psychological support can be sought after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis or after starting breast cancer treatment, when treatment is completed, during emotional changes, when familial and environmental relationships related to the disease begin to deteriorate, and when significant changes occur in the patient’s life during breast cancer treatment (such as changes in body image, changes in work and social life). Various studies have proven that psychological support contributes to the recovery process.
Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is an unexpected situation for every woman, regardless of age or social status. Women may experience feelings of discouragement and worthlessness when they lose their breasts, as they see them as a part that completes them or as a whole of the body. At this stage, receiving psychological support is very important. Support can facilitate the person’s acceptance of the process, increase their adherence to treatment, and improve their quality of life. If you or your loved ones have received a breast cancer diagnosis, it is recommended to consult our health professionals who provide psychotherapy support.
