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Mental Illness, Then Cancer
Bob Riter
bob@ibca.net
In the interest of fairness, having one illness should give you some protection
against getting another illness. If you have been diagnosed with a serious mental
illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, you shouldn’t have
to deal with cancer.
But life isn’t fair that way. In fact, a person with mental illness is
more likely to get cancer. This is due, in part, because of a higher incidence
of smoking.
To compound the problem, people diagnosed with mental illnesses are sometimes
diagnosed at more advanced stages of cancer because they’re less likely
to receive routine cancer screenings. If simply getting through the day is a
struggle, scheduling a mammogram or colonoscopy may not be a high priority.
And consider all that happens in the days after a cancer diagnosis. Everyone
has treatment decisions to make, financial hassles to contend with, and the
underlying sense that everything is out of control. It’s hard enough dealing
with these issues when everything else in your life is running smoothly.
With mental illness, life does not always run smoothly.
You may hesitate to attend a cancer support group because you sense that you
won’t be comfortable. You might have a strained relationship with your
family so some of the built-in supports that many of us count on may be missing
or limited.
All in all, it can be a tremendously difficult situation.
But there are things that can help:
- Having a regular provider of medical care – and accessing that care -- is the most important step in promoting the early detection of cancer. When people have a mental illness, society tends to focus on the mental illness and not on overall physical well-being. We need to do both. (And mental illness is a physical illness).
- One-to-one support for people with cancer may help when support groups aren’t a good option. The Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance (277-0960) and the Cancer Support and Information Program at Cayuga Medical Center (274-4060) are good places to start.
- The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County (273-9250) is an excellent source of information, support and advocacy on issues related to mental health.
- Family involvement is invaluable and organizations like the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) provide support and education for family members and people who have been diagnosed with mental illness. The Finger Lakes Chapter of NAMI is based in Ithaca can be reached at 273-2462.
- If you are the friend of someone who’s been diagnosed with both mental illness and cancer, you can provide invaluable assistance by listening without giving unsolicited advice, by helping with the appointments and other “business” of cancer treatment, and by simply being there.
formatted
for printing
From the Ithaca Journal, April 26, 2007
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