Supporting the Mental Health of Cancer Patients
When considering the impact of a cancer diagnosis, many people may naturally focus on the physical aspects of the disease – what cancer does to the body. However, cancer can affect a patient’s mental health too, as well as the mental health of one’s family and caregivers.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), feelings of anxiety, distress, depression, and loneliness are common, both during and after cancer treatment. “However, the mental, behavioral and emotional aspects of a cancer diagnosis often get overlooked as secondary to cancer’s primary measured outcome, survival,” said Pia Banerjee, PhD, ACS’s Director of Cancer Innovation and Transformation.
Pia Banerjee
Dr. Banerjee joined ACS in mid-2024 in a new role created to help transform cancer care through innovative and technology-focused patient support initiatives. Her work as part of ACS’s Patient Support pillar complements and informs work being conducted through ACS’s Advocacy and Discovery/Research pillars.
“We know that the mental health impacts of a cancer diagnosis are significant for patients and their families,” she said. “Research shows that depression and other mental health concerns are associated with lower survival rates and worse cancer outcomes, underscoring the need for comprehensive cancer support.”
Common Mental Health Concerns After a Cancer Diagnosis
The ACS web site features a page dedicated to mental health and distress. Visitors to the page can learn more about common mental health concerns associated with a cancer diagnosis and treatment, including:
- Anxiety: Everyone feels anxious at times. But certain types of anxiety can cause extreme distress and get in the way of daily life. If someone has or has had cancer, they are at greater risk of developing anxiety.
- Depression: Depression is common when coping with cancer. Feelings of sadness, grief, or distress are a normal response to having cancer. Dreams, plans, and the future may feel uncertain. But if someone has been feeling depressed for a long time and it hasn’t gotten better, or if it’s keeping them from doing daily activities, it’s important to find support.
- Distress: Cancer-related mental distress can happen at any time, even months after treatment ends. When cancer is treated, or as situations change, learning to cope can be difficult. This flyer from ACS offers tips to help cope with distress.
- Social isolation and loneliness: It’s normal for people with cancer to experience social isolation and loneliness. Being isolated or lonely can affect how they feel, both mentally and physically, but there are things they can do to take care of themselves and stay connected.
Dr. Banerjee highlighted that because cancer affects a patient’s entire family and support network, caregivers may also face their own mental health concerns as they navigate the demands of providing physical and emotional support for their loved ones. A separate ACS web page offers guidance for caregivers, friends, and family to help them support the physical and behavioral health needs of their loved one during treatment and survivorship.
“Going through cancer is overwhelming,” Dr. Banerjee said. “Patients and caregivers are inundated with information, required to make many important decisions, and must manage all the pressures of daily life throughout their diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. As a society, we need to be attuned to their experiences and address their mental health needs. Resources to support caregivers are especially scarce, and ACS is actively working to help fill that gap.”
Mental Health Resources for Cancer Patients
Whether someone has been recently diagnosed, is currently going through treatment, or is caring for a loved one, ACS is available with information, day-to-day help, and emotional support every step of the way.
Through ACS’s National Cancer Information Center (NCIC), trained cancer information specialists can answer questions 24 hours a day, every day of the year and connect patients, caregivers and family members to services and resources. NCIC is available by phone at 1-800-227-2345 or via Live Chat.
“Our NCIC is on the forefront of providing behavioral health services and resources,” Dr. Banerjee said. “Our specialists can help you manage the overwhelming feelings associated with cancer by providing information about everything from how to navigate a cancer diagnosis and treatment to dealing with insurance issues and even how to get involved with clinical trials.”
ACS CARES™ (Community Access to Resources, Education, and Support) is a mobile app that Dr. Banerjee leads to provide patients, their families, and caregivers with personalized resources to navigate their cancer journey. Using the free app (available from Google Play and the Apple Store) is simple and starts with answering a few questions to help ACS match people with the best resources for their unique situation. The support received is personalized for the patient’s diagnosis and specific needs.
“Through ACS CARES, we can connect you with a community volunteer who has a similar lived experience or is at a later stage in their cancer journey to help you navigate your own journey,” Dr. Banerjee said. “ACS CARES can also connect you with lodging options through Hope Lodge, rides to treatment through Road to Recovery, and other ACS programs to provide you with the right support at the right time.”
Earlier this year, the American Cancer Society launched ACS ACTS (Access to Clinical Trials and Support), a service available to cancer patients, caregivers, and health care providers. ACS ACTS harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to match patients with clinical trials, then facilitates enrollment and participation. ACS ACTS also provides proactive social needs screenings to identify barriers that might impact a person’s ability to participate in a clinical trial so ACS can connect them with the appropriate resources.
“Many people with cancer worry about treatment options,” Dr. Banerjee said. “The ability to explore and access options is crucial to one’s emotional wellbeing. Unlike other clinical trial matching services, ACS ACTS provides a full end-to-end support from clinical trials education and social needs screening, to facilitation of medical record collection for trial eligibility, to assistance with lodging and transportation for trial participation.”
As she looked forward, Dr. Banerjee said she is excited to leverage her background in neuropsychology and digital health as she builds out innovative ACS programs to address behavioral and emotional health. Future plans include resources to help cancer patients be a more integral part of the decision-making process with their providers, build their self-efficacy, and find support for their social wellness needs.
Editor’s Note: HealthWell offers an Oncology Caregiver Behavioral Health Fund that provides up to $2,000 in copay assistance for prescription drugs, counseling services, psychotherapy, and transportation costs needed to treat or manage behavioral health issues for a family member providing care to a cancer patient with an active HealthWell grant.
***If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please call 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.***
