{"id":580,"date":"2007-10-23T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-10-23T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beyondblue\/2007\/10\/cancer-and-depression-it-sucks.html"},"modified":"2007-10-23T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-10-23T11:00:00","slug":"cancer-and-depression-it-sucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2007\/10\/cancer-and-depression-it-sucks.html","title":{"rendered":"Cancer and Depression: It Sucks (But You Knew That)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks back, a Beyond Blue<\/a> reader asked (I can\u2019t find the comment, sorry!)<\/a>, \u201cWhat do you do when you are afflicted by BOTH cancer and depression? Your twelve steps work great for healthy people. But what do you do when you\u2019re sick while trying not to plunge into a deeper depression?\u201d
\nI waited until Michelle Rapkin\u2019s book, “Any Day with Hair Is a Good Hair Day: How to Get Through Cancer and Get On with Your life (Trust Me, I\u2019ve Been There)<\/a>,” was out to answer you, because offers great suggestions in her chapters: from helpful self-talk to prayer to shopping.
\nThe first thing you need to do, though, if you think you\u2019re depressed (and have cancer) is get honest with yourself and your medical team about your depression. In a section called “Dealing with Depression,” she writes:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing to be sad. If you weren\u2019t sad about having cancer, that would be very strange. But there\u2019s a real difference between being sad and being depressed. At any given time, 10 percent of the American population suffers from depression. Thirty percent of cancer patients suffer from it; so if you think you might be depressed, the odds are with you.
\nI\u2019ve suffered from bouts of major depression in my life, and I can assure you that you really don\u2019t want to be in the middle of cancer and depression at the same time. One is bad enough, but in combination they\u2019re brutal.<\/p>\n


\nOngoing symptoms of depression include:
\n\u2022\tExaggerated feelings of hopelessness, despair, worthlessness, and inadequacy.
\n\u2022\tLittle, if any, interest in things that used to be pleasurable.
\n\u2022\tCrying often and easily.
\n\u2022\tThoughts of suicide.
\n\u2022\tLoss of interest in sex.
\n\u2022\tExtreme feelings of worthlessness and guilt.
\nIf you experience some or all of these feelings much or most of the time, please, please tell your medical team as soon as you realize that they\u2019re not going away. Your body needs all of its energy to heal. Why force it to undergo the added stress of depression? Also, the medical community has determined that there is a strong connection between depression and a suppressed immune system, which is the last thing you need right now.
\nFinally, don\u2019t worry about antidepressants. I know how hard it is to accept the fact that you might need them. But I can tell you from experience that taking them is like taking aspirin or allergy medicine. In fact, if you\u2019ve ever taken Zyban to quit smoking, then you\u2019ve already taken an antidepressant. Zyban is Wellbutrin, one of the most widely used antidepressants in the country.
\nRemember, don\u2019t suffer in silence. Don\u2019t just hope the depression will go away by itself. It won\u2019t. Tell your doctor as soon as you think that you might be depressed.
\nLike pain, the earlier depression is treated, the more quickly and easily it will be alleviated. Not to mention that you\u2019ll avoid unnecessary strain on your already overworked body.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few weeks back, a Beyond Blue reader asked (I can\u2019t find the comment, sorry!), \u201cWhat do you do when you are afflicted by BOTH cancer and depression? Your twelve steps work great for healthy people. But what do you do when you\u2019re sick while trying not to plunge into a deeper depression?\u201d I waited…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-depression"],"yoast_head":"\nCancer and Depression: It Sucks (But You Knew That) - Beyond Blue<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2007\/10\/cancer-and-depression-it-sucks.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cancer and Depression: It Sucks (But You Knew That) - Beyond Blue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A few weeks back, a Beyond Blue reader asked (I can\u2019t find the comment, sorry!), \u201cWhat do you do when you are afflicted by BOTH cancer and depression? 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