Emotions and prostate cancer
Living with prostate cancer can affect you in many ways. Of course, there are the physical symptoms of prostate cancer and the side effects of treatment. But you may also notice changes to your emotions, moods and relationships with others.
A diagnosis of prostate cancer, as well as living with the condition, can lead to a variety of emotions. This might include:
These emotions can lead to anxiety and stress, and even depression, which may make you feel ill and even slow down your recovery after prostate cancer treatment.
Recognising negative emotions
Acknowledging the feelings associated with prostate cancer and dealing with these feelings can help you cope better with the effects of prostate cancer. So it’s important that you learn to recognise the signs of these emotions.
Stress
This is a feeling of being under pressure. It can be caused by a number of things including illness. Too much stress can lead to problems with sleeping, difficulty concentrating, anxiety and depression.
Anxiety
Being over-anxious can cause physical symptoms such as over-breathing (hyperventilating), sweating, stomach ache and diarrhoea.
Depression
Many people feel down or low from time to time. It’s normal to feel down when confronted with bad news about your health. However, if you are constantly feeling down, this could be depression. Like many emotions, depression can build up over time and many people don’t realise they’re depressed. Signs of depression include:
Getting support
We all deal with our feelings in different ways. Some of us wish to deal with our feelings ourselves, whereas others would like help from other people.
If you think you are struggling with the emotional side of prostate cancer you may find talking to someone helpful. Don’t be ashamed or feel weak for wanting to talk things through.
- Talk to your partner, family member or close friend about your concerns
- Talk to your doctor or nurse, who will be able to direct you to the types of treatments and counselling available
- Talk to other men with prostate cancer, which can be done via local support groups
