By Krystie Lee Yandoli — 2015
“It’s difficult for someone in the throes of it to believe they’ll ever feel better again.”
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Cancer patients often get depressed simply because having cancer can be a depressing experience.
Feelings of depression are common when patients and family members are coping with cancer. It's normal to feel sadness and grief. Dreams, plans, and the future may seem uncertain.
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Most of us will resist getting out of bed, even if it’s just a second of internal grumbling. But if you experience depression, getting your day started may not be so much of an annoyance as it is a seemingly impossible feat.
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What is the difference between symptoms that may arise in response to situational stress compared to signs of serious depression? How do you know if what you feel is normal and will pass, or needs further attention?
It is understandable if the coronavirus pandemic has put you in a funk, but depression should be evaluated and treated.
In the early, uncertain days of the pandemic, it’s likely that your brain’s threat detection system — called the amygdala — was on high alert for fight-or-flight.
I was lucky that my type of cancer responds well to hormone therapy, with no chemotherapy or radiation. Despite my excellent prognosis and low chance of recurrence, my breast cancer almost killed me.
Three in four depressed cancer patients don’t get enough help; survivors tell what it’s like to slip ‘down the rabbit hole’ — and how to climb back out.
Some fifteen per cent of women suffer from depression during pregnancy, and the use of antidepressants in expectant women is on the rise.
Even in the middle of the unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say people can reach out for help.