Costs: Medical health services are generally not offered free as part of the medical cancer care, but they are often covered in part by your health insurance plans. You need to call your health insurance company to find out which types of professional services are covered and what will be the dollar amount of the cover. Nowadays, a greater number of towns and cities offer free support groups that are sponsored by religious organizations, local hospitals, or cancer advocacy groups, for instance the American Cancer Society.
Medicines: Generally, social workers and psychologists work with psychiatrists who are able to prescribe medicines in order to help control your distress. At times, a drug is required to manage distress resulting from cancer, or distress caused by a specific medicine used in cancer treatment or another serious symptom. For instance, steroids such as Decadron® and prednisone can lead to mood swings. At higher doses, opioid pain medicines such as Dilaudid®, morphine, or fentanyl can induce confused thinking. Specific medicines may be required to control these symptoms.
Medicines used to treat depression (anti-depressants) or those that are used to treat anxiety (anti-anxiety medicines) can be administered to control distress and manage symptoms like poor appetite and sleep. Certain patients are afraid to take these medicines thinking that – “I might get addicted”, or “I will become a zombie”. Often, these concerns are exaggerated, quite similar to the unreasonable fear of taking narcotics to reduce cancer pain. There are many people who also fear that visiting a psychiatrist would imply that they are “weak” or “crazy”. However, similar to other health professionals, psychiatrists too are usually able to reduce severe distress levels by providing effective counseling and helping select the best medicines.
Pastoral services
During a crisis, (for instance when you or one of your family members has been diagnosed with cancer), many individuals prefer to discuss issues with a person belonging to their religious or spiritual group. Nowadays, many clergy have received proper training in pastoral counseling for cancer patients. They are usually available to the cancer care team and they usually see patients who may not be having their own clergy or religious counselor.
There is a great deal of significance attached to pastoral services because knowing that you have cancer can result in a crisis of belief or faith. Some people may start questioning their life’s purpose or wonder why God chose them to be cancer victims. Other individuals may treat the cancer diagnosis as a punishment from God or an indication that God has left them. Cancer patients can rely on their spiritual and religious resources to deal with their illness and find answers to these questions.
Clergy can help you deal with concerns such as:
- Grief
- Concerns related to death and the afterlife
- Internal conflict or dented belief systems
- Loss of faith
- Concerns related to the meaning or purpose of life
- Concerns related to the relationship with a holy being or God
- Guilt
- Hopelessness
- Isolation from the religious community
- Conflict between existing beliefs and recommended treatment
- Need for specific types of rituals
Special issues
Specific situations require special skills, for instance grief counseling and sexual counseling.
For grief counseling, you will find the Association for Death Education and Counseling quite useful. They have plenty of resources for individuals who need help or for those who may want to provide support to another person trying to cope with a loss.
If you need the services of a trained professional who specializes in sexual counseling and sex therapy, you can get help from the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.
How to choose the right counselor
In case you wish to get help from a counselor, it makes sense to find one who may have proper training and experience in providing care to cancer patients. Your cancer care team can be your best resource for seeking referrals to providers in your locality. The Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) is another good resource. Within 2 business days, they will help you get in touch with someone through their toll-free service at 1-866-276-7443. Using their services, you will be able to find a trained professional in your local area who can provide counseling to cancer patients. You need to make a call and ask for other professionals in case you don’t feel safe talking to or are not comfortable with the first one.
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