Hi. I'm looking for advice on how to best deal with someone who is suffering with severe depression over their cancer diagnosis and treatment.
My stepdad is currently undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer and, despite the fact he's been told he can make a full recovery once he's had the sugery he'll need to remove the tumour, the chemotherapy and radiotherapy he's had in the run up has made him so ill that he's now seems to have lost his entire will to live. The cancer now seems to be a secondary problem to the depression he's now suffering and he may now refuse any further treatment if it's required.
I'm worried about him and I'm equally worried abot my Mum who is living with this everyday and is becoming equally depressed about the situation.
I think they both need some sort of couselling to get them through this but I don't know who is best to contact about that - they don't seem to be getting any real help or support from the NHS in that area and the cancer charity are all completely overstretched and can't help.
I'm feeling quite helpless - so any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
Hi and a warm welcome to the online community
I'm sorry to read about your stepdad's recent cancer diagnosis and that you're worried that he's suffering with depression.
The online community is divided up into different support groups I'm going to recommend that you join the family and friends group where you can connect with others who have a loved one dealing with cancer.
To join just click on the link I've created and then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the page that opens. You can then introduce yourself and post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It is quite normal at some point when you have cancer to feel low but for some people this can develop into depression and you might find this information from Macmillan on depression useful to have a look through.
It would be great if you could pop something about your stepdad's diagnosis and treatment into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
