Pink Ribbon Review | Raising Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast Cancer Can Cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

by Karen Lynch on May 13th, 2008

People newly diagnosed with breast cancer have very specific mental health needs. Check out the facts cited in a 2006 Psych Central article:

“While nearly half of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients experience clinically significant mental anguish before treatment begins, the disorders are often unrecognized and undertreated. In a new study by Dartmouth Medical School researchers, virtually all newly diagnosed women admitted to experiencing some level of emotional distress, and 47 percent met clinically significant screening criteria for emotional distress or a psychiatric disorder, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Studies have shown that significant emotional distress, including mood disorders and related functional impairments, afflict up to one-third of breast cancer survivors for up to 20 years after treatment.”

My recent post on dealing with depression lists a few steps people should take if the breast cancer blues are bogging them down.

But PTSD is entirely different from the blues, and requires a much deeper look. So I talked to Dr. Paula Rauch, Founder & Director of the Marjorie E. Korff PACT Program at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center (Parenting At A Challenging Time), and she shared this with me:

“You can imagine that it is ‘traumatic’ to go from feeling you are ‘well’ with some symptom to receiving a cancer diagnosis that leaves one fearful that one might die from the cancer. Many people describe the feeling that after hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ that everything feels surreal or terrifying, their hearts pound, or they don’t hear anything else the doctor says. It feels like an acute life threat and can be difficult to integrate, and thus can be like other more commonly imagined traumas such as being held up at gunpoint, or a war experience.”

So what are the symptoms of PTSD when the trauma is a breast cancer diagnosis? Truth be told, they’re not dissimilar from the symptoms of PTSD stemming from other events:

• Intrusive thoughts (unable to get them out of your head)
• Hypervigilance (constantly watching for potential threats to your wellbeing)
• Flashbacks (seeing the ‘picture’ of where you were when you were given the news)
• Difficulty sleeping

And, don’t be surprised if you find yourself dealing with these issues down the road:

“Many people are left with a pervasive sense of loss of safety and many will say that life is never the same after one has a real taste of mortality,” says Dr. Rausch.

The good news is … it’s never too late to get help. Here’s a great assessment tool, sponsored by the American Psychological Association, that’ll help you determine where you are in terms of healing and the personal growth after facing the trauma of your diagnosis: A Post Traumatic Growth Inventory.

Like this topic? It’s the b5media Health & Wellness Channel’s May Theme Day and it’s all about mental health; our host this month is Alicia Sparks at Mental Health Notes.

So … where are you with your mental health these days (please specify if you’re newly diagnosed, in the midst of treatment, or living the ‘after cancer’ life)?

(Need help finding someone to talk to? Use the APA’s psychologist locator.)

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POSTED IN: Research, Resources, Self Care