While awareness of cancer has been gaining pace in the country, discussion on them is often associated with chemotherapy sessions, baldness, or skin darkening. However, the elephant in the room in the form of mental trauma that a patient and their family go through is barely addressed even as more than 4.5 million people in India are living with cancer.
Experts stressed that cancer does not just affect our body but it also takes a toll on the mind as well, and the patient experiences a significant difference in their emotional health. Finding out that one has cancer may trigger depression, anxiety stress, and the fear of unknown.
Annually, 780,000 cancer patients in India die without even knowing if they developed health conditions like depression. It has been found that people with depression are more prone to cancer-related outcomes as they are less likely to follow the treatment plans.
Originally published in Hindustan Times. Read the full article here.