Impacts of Cancer Diagnoses and Treatments on the Psychological Health of Patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v13i2.6658Keywords:
HPA Axis, Immune Response, Psychological Health, Cancer, Stigma, TreatmentAbstract
The effects that come with cancer diagnoses and treatments are many and impact various aspects of an individual’s life. A rarely talked about impact of the cancer journey is the psychological impact of cancer on patients. Individuals experience isolation, changes in social interaction, impact on their health, and financial status. Deterioration in the psychological health of cancer patients can lead to devastating effects on the overall health of the individual because when an individual’s psychological health declines, multiple other body systems are impacted too. This takes a drastic toll on patients because they already have to fight intensive cancer treatment, and a deteriorating psychological state can cause a lot of harm in their journey towards being cancer-free. Additionally, cancer patients experience much stigma from others lacking knowledge about what cancer patients go through. This can lead to cancer patients experiencing various psychological health issues which can then cause overall health-based consequences. Examining multiple credible studies regarding the psychological health of cancer patients, this paper aims to examine the role of psychological health throughout the journey of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Ultimately, there is an extensive impact on the psychological health of patients due to cancer treatment and diagnosis as a result of the stigma and environment experienced during the cancer journey. The most efficient method to help patients avoid significant psychological health deterioration is to create programs in their treatment plan to monitor their psychological health, mentally prepare them for the treatment ahead, and provide healthy coping strategies.
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