Education and resources

Your health care team might give you education and resources about lifestyle habits that can improve mental distress, including mindfulness, meditation, good sleep, and physical activity.

Additional referrals

Your health care team might refer you to additional resources such as patient navigation, social work, counseling, or chaplaincy care.

Palliative care and distress

Your cancer care team might also refer you to palliative care to help manage your distress.

Palliative care is provided by specialists who work with you and your cancer care team. They can help you find ways to manage many of the things that might be causing your distress or making it worse.

Many people confuse palliative care with hospice care. But they are not the same thing. Palliative care is for anyone with a serious illness, not just people at the end of life. Your care team could refer you to palliative care at any stage of your cancer, cancer treatment, and beyond.

A palliative care team might work with you to manage:

• Physical side effects of cancer and cancer treatment
• Family dynamics and communication
• Caregiver support and respite
• Access to community resources
• Social isolation and loneliness
• Money, insurance, or legal concerns

Studies show that people who get access to palliative care have a better quality of life and may even live longer than people with cancer who don’t get this type of care. Learn more about finding palliative care resources.

Tips for coping with distress

Mental health is one of the most difficult topics for many people to talk about. But it affects almost every part of our lives. Just like other health problems, it’s important to manage your distress so it doesn’t get worse.

Simply naming your distress out loud to another person is often one of the best things you can do to cope. But mental distress is tricky. It distorts (changes) how we think about ourselves. It can also make us think that other people are judging us, or that the feel negatively about us.

This makes it harder to reach out for support. But it’s important to keep trying. If you aren’t ready to talk about your distress, there are other steps you can take to help yourself cope.

Steps you can take on your own:

Reflect. Think about what helped you in the past during distressing situations.

Take one moment at a time. Also, it’s okay if you don’t always feel positive. An important part of healing is letting yourself feel all your feelings, good and bad.

Stay informed and ask questions. One of the most distressing things for many people is the unknown.

Take deep, slow breaths. This tells your nervous system you’re safe and can relax. Doing this over time can help change your physical reactions to mental distress.

Use a journal. Writing down or recording your thoughts and feelings can help you process what you’re going through.   

Try complementary therapies. Yoga, massage, imagery, writing, music, and pet therapy have all shown to be helpful. Even getting outside for a walk can make a difference.

Steps you can take with the help of others:

Build a reliable support system. This might be a friend, family member, group, or a pet. Connection, community, and meaningful relationships are what give our lives meaning and connect us to one another.

Find someone you can talk to. A therapist can help you identify and reframe negative thoughts and behaviors and learn new coping skills.

Connect with people who’ve gone through similar experiences. If you aren’t ready to talk in a group, listening to a podcast where other people talk about these experiences is another great option.  

Ask a doctor about medication. Antidepressants can also help with depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. Most take a few weeks to start working, so give them time. There are also different types of antidepressants, so don’t get discouraged if the first one doesn’t work for you.

Get help with the stressors in your life. If you have distress about money, work, school, transportation, or insurance, ask for a referral to a social worker or navigator. They can often find community resources or other support for you.  

Figuring out what works for you

Distress is a very real side effect of cancer. You can’t just turn it on and off by thinking your way around it. Some days will be better than others. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed, or lost all progress, or gone backward.

Sometimes, there isn’t one single fix. A coping method might work one day but not the next. The more tools you have in your toolbox, the better prepared you’ll be when you need them. 

If you have a history of mental health problems

If you’re going through cancer and already coping with mental health problems, you might need extra support.

For someone who is already struggling with mental health problems, the added mental distress of cancer can feel overwhelming or like too much to handle. These are completely valid and normal feelings to have.

You might already be using some of the tips or treatments mentioned here. It’s important to continue doing the things that have helped you in the past. It’s also important to ask your care team about other things that might be added to help you cope during this time.

This might look like:

• Letting people know you’re struggling more than usual and might need extra support or check-ins
• Talking to your therapist or psychologist more frequently
• Reviewing your medicines to make sure they are still working well
• Changing or adding medicines as needed
• Joining a support group
• Getting screened for new or worsening mental illness (such as PTSD or panic disorder)

Even if you are used to coping with mental health issues on your own, you don’t need to suffer alone. There are people who have gone through similar experiences. They can share what they learned or what worked best for them.

Managing distress is a normal part of cancer care. It should always be addressed, no matter your history with mental health.

Getting help from your care team

Many doctors and cancer care teams screen for distress, anxiety, and depression. No matter what they screen for, it’s important to talk to them about how you’re feeling. They can often help treat mild or occasional distress.

You might need more help if your distress is severe, or if it isn’t getting better. Your health care team can often connect you with the right resources, referrals, and specialists.

Who can help?

There are many people on your care team who might be able to help you manage your distress:

Nurses and doctors can give you information and education. They can help you understand why distress often affects people with cancer differently. They can also listen and affirm your feelings and experiences.

Psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, and counselors provide different types of mental health care. This might include talk therapy, medication, and help with building coping skills.  

Chaplains provide support no matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs are. They are excellent listeners.

Navigators, social workers, and case managers can help find resources like transportation to appointments, lodging near treatment centers, financial assistance, and more.

Questions to ask

It can be hard to talk about mental health. Sometimes it helps to write down your symptoms or the questions you want to ask. Here are a few ideas:

• Can my symptoms be managed?
• What types of treatments do you recommend?
• Would medication help?
• Can I talk with a therapist or specialist about my symptoms?
• Can you recommend a support group for me?
• Is palliative care a good option for me?

What caregivers, friends, and family can do

Find more support