Prostate Cancer
Lesson 4: Coping with the After-effects
Depression
Prostate cancer often comes at a time when the patient and his partner are going through changes in their lives. Many men aged 60 to 70 years old are struggling with retirement, living on a fixed income, and coping with a change in day-to-day activities. In many cases, men find this to be a stressful time. The addition of coping with cancer can lead to bouts of depression. Depression is a physical ailment, just as cancer, it can, and should be treated.
People suffering from depression often have problems with decision-making and the prostate cancer patient is going to have some important decisions to make regarding his treatment of choice. This makes depression and cancer a bad mix.
In addition to an inability to make decisions, symptoms of depression include:
- A persistent feeling of sadness
- A loss of interest in activities that are usually enjoyable to you
- Irritability
- Abrupt changes in appetite and/or weight
- Fatigue
- A disruption in your normal sleep patterns
- Physical discomforts, such as aches and pains, headache, upset stomach
- An inability to concentrate
- Persistent thoughts of suicide or death.
There are many medications and other forms of treatment for depression. Depression can manifest in times of stress and anxiety, but it’s important to note that depression is a biological condition, and in most cases, is easily treated.
SuiteU offers a popular course on Coping with Depression. The author/instructor of the course, John McManamy, suffers from depression, and is dedicated to helping others with depression. Coping with Depression can be found at http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/16604... and you may want to enroll in the next scheduled course.
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