COVER STORY
ASK THE EXPERT
MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH AFTER DIAGNOSIS
O ctober is the with Clinical Psychologist Dr Charlotte Tottman to find out how a breast cancer diagnosis can affect a person’s mental health and how and when to seek support. Q: HOW CAN A BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS AFFECT SOMEONE’S MENTAL HEALTH? A: The two most common presentations I see following a cancer diagnosis are adjustment and anxiety. awareness month for both breast cancer and mental health. The Beacon sat down After a cancer diagnosis, it’s normal to struggle through a period of adjustment as you come to terms with change. How you navigate these changes can depend on who you are as a person, your previous experience of adversity, and your resilience. Anxiety is another common and normal response to a diagnosis. In general, anxiety is worrying about the future and fearing things that haven’t happened. A cancer diagnosis naturally heightens anxiety because the future no longer seems certain. Anxiety comes in many forms. There are at least 12 different types of anxiety when it comes
Q: AT WHAT POINT SHOULD SOMEONE SEEK PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR ANY MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THEY’RE EXPERIENCING? A: Generally, I recommend seeking help if your anxiety or struggle to adjust is getting in the way of your functioning, impacting your sleep or relationships, or causing you a high level of distress. Cancer treatment itself can affect your normal functioning, so ask yourself, “Am I struggling because of my mental health or my physical health?” You may also be experiencing emotional isolation, where you feel like no one else understands what you’re going through. Your GP can help assess where you are in terms of your struggle. If you have a pre-existing mental health experience and/ or an ongoing relationship with a therapist, I strongly recommend you start with them. You can also see a psycho- oncologist or clinical psychologist. A therapist can offer a safe environment where you can speak in an unfiltered way to help you feel heard, seen and validated. Talking to others who have a similar experience can also be valuable in helping you feel understood.
to a cancer diagnosis. You can learn more about these by listening to the first episode, A Mixed Dozen, in Season 2 of the Upfront About Breast Cancer – What You Don’t Know Until You Do podcast series. An appropriate level of anxiety can be a good thing because it helps you to develop strategies to deal with the physical, practical, or emotional challenges you’re facing. Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS
YOU RECOMMEND PEOPLE MANAGE THAT ANXIETY?
A: Learn to sit in the discomfort that comes with anxiety. This is a very powerful skill to develop. All psychological discomfort is temporary. There may be a trigger and then a spike in anxiety and an increase in discomfort. You might experience physiological symptoms, such as a racing heart, a sick feeling in your stomach, light-headedness, or tightness in your chest. The anxiety will peak and then, after a few minutes, start to dissipate. Once you recognise this and learn how to sit with it, you are back in the driver’s seat. The anxiety may still happen, which is normal, but it will no longer destabilise you.
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October 2023 | Issue 96
Breast Cancer Network Australia
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