People with cancer and their families may feel guilty about their emotional responses to the illness. They may feel pressure to keep a “good attitude” at all times, which is unrealistic. This feeling of pressure can come from within themselves, from other people, or both. Sadness, depression, guilt, fear, and anxiety are all normal parts of grieving and learning to cope with major life changes. Trying to ignore these feelings or not talking with others about them can make the person with cancer feel lonely. It can also make the emotional pain worse. And some people feel guilty or blame themselves when they can’t “stay positive,” which only adds to their emotional burden.

Along these same lines, many people want to believe that the power of the mind can control serious diseases. This is a comforting belief that can make a person feel safer from the risk of serious illness. If it were true, you could use your mind to stop the cancer from growing. But the down side of such beliefs is that when people with cancer don’t do well, they may blame themselves.

To learn more about attitude and survival, researchers looked at the emotional well-being of more than 1,000 patients with head and neck cancer to find out whether it affected survival. Over time, those who scored high on emotional well-being showed no differences in cancer growth or length of life when compared with those with low scores. Based on what we know now about how cancer starts and grows, there’s no reason to believe that emotions can cause cancer or help it grow.

For many years there have been those who were convinced that people with certain personality types were more likely to get cancer. The common thought was that neurotic people and introverts were at the highest risk of cancer. Along with that, some believed that personality affected the outcome of cancer – the likelihood that a person with cancer might die.

Most of the study results on the subject tended to show no link between personality and cancer, but a few seemed to support the idea. Experts noted that many of these published studies were smaller, poorly designed, or not very well controlled. This means that their results were more likely to be due to bias or random chance. Also, some journals tended to publish the studies that suggested there was a link and reject those that showed no link. People are then more likely to read or hear about the few studies that seemed to show a link but not hear about those that didn’t show any link.

In 2010, the largest and best-designed scientific study to date was published. It looked at nearly 60,000 people, who were followed over time for a minimum of 30 years. This careful study controlled for smoking, alcohol use, and other known cancer risk factors. The study showed no link between personality and overall cancer risk. There was also no link between personality traits and cancer survival.

From the American Cancer Society –

Attitudes and Cancer

When a person is told they have cancer, they might find themselves wondering:

• Did I bring the cancer on myself?
• Can my emotions really make cancer grow or affect the outcome of my treatment?
• Can I control the tumor growth by visualizing how my body is fighting the cancer or by thinking myself well?
• Would relaxation or keeping a “positive attitude” help cure my cancer?

An important part of coping with a cancer diagnosis is recognizing emotions and feelings. Treatment that deals with our emotions and relationships (sometimes called psychosocial interventions) can help people with cancer feel more upbeat and have a better quality of life. But there’s no good evidence to support the idea that these interventions can reduce the risk of cancer, keep cancer from coming back, or help the person with cancer live longer. Still, things like group support, individual therapy, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques can be used to help reduce distress and cope with the emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis.

The following resource guides offer tips on developing a strategy for managing the illness, asking the right questions of physicians and getting the right professional and personal support.

1.You Have Cancer: Now What?
Diagnosis: cancer. Your head is spinning, and you feel like the wind has been sucked out of you. In a split second, life as you knew it is gone. “Getting diagnosed throws your entire universe into a free fall,” Carr writes in her 2007 book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips. “There’s no sugarcoating it: cancer is a devastating blow, one that takes time to process.”

The first things you should do (after taking a deep breath and trying to chill):

• Find the best doctor for your disease: Be willing to travel and always get second, third and even fourth opinions to make sure that you’re getting the best treatment.
• Design a healing plan: Pull together a team of Western physicians as well as integrative doctors (to teach you how to build up your immunity and spiritual grit) to create the best get-healthy recipe. Ask family and friends to chip in and scour the Internet and bookshelves for information. “If you want to heal, you have to take initiative, have a voice and use it,” Carr says.
• Focus on lifestyle changes: “The only thing that you can control is what you eat, what you drink and how you move,” Carr says. She recommends exploring healthy diets, exercise and alternative therapies such as massage, yoga and meditation to boost and maintain your physical and emotional well-being.
• Create a support system: “Nobody understands you quite like another cancer survivor,” Carr says. “There is incredible strength in that.”
• Live! “Don’t wait for permission to live. Just because you have cancer does not mean that your life is over,’’ Carr insists. “Start living. It’s that simple.”

What’s Next: Cancer As Inspiration for Career Changes …

http://www.cancerandcareers.org/…/cancer-as-inspiration-for-career-changes

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Emotional Needs – Your Health Matters …

http://www.urbanhealth.com.my/featured/emotional-needs-in-cancer-patients

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