Grateful or Suicidal?

If you know a loved one who has cancer or has healed from cancer (survivor), you should read this post: you could save a life.

Cancer survivors have a higher suicide rate than the general population. The incidence of suicide in someone with a cancer diagnosis is approximately double the incidence of suicide in the general population[1].

Here are the statistics from the 2015 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology:

52.2% of cancer survivors wished to die at at some point -- from the end of their treatment to up to 2 years afterwards.

53.3% survivors had serious suicidal ideas and 40.1% requested help to combat their suicidal tendencies.

It is also interesting to note that 30% to 45% of survivors with suicidal ideas showed no significant symptoms of depression.

When you learn you have cancer the focus is on physical survival. When treatment ends, the psychological effects can intensify. Cancer survivors often feel pressure to be grateful for being alive. Guilt and fear of appearing ungrateful may kee

p them from seeking the help they need.

Why survivors want to die?

There was no link between suicidal tendencies and age, type of treatment, recurrence, or time since diagnosis.

Physical and emotional health, pain, work status, and income were found to be contributing factors.

New York actress Jacey Powers was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. Now 27, she’s been cancer-free since said; “I’m happy and healthy, but there have been many bumps in the road. Life after “you’re cured” isn’t the relief you expect it to be. She believes it’s common for survivors to feel depressed and to question why they’re alive;

“After a year of fighting, and to some extent defining myself as a person fighting this illness, where do I go now? What's the next fight? The questions can feel overwhelming”.

Understanding the survivor’s struggles and challenges are important in order to provide the right help. My next post is about the after-treatment side effects; how they affect the survivor’s quality of life, how a survivor can deal with them and how you, family and friends, can help.

How can we help with a survivor’s suicidal tendencies?

Cancer is a traumatic experience. Signs of depression can be difficult to detect with the survivors.Symptoms of depression often overlap with other aspects of cancer or cancer treatments. These include fatigue, pain, and sleep disruptions.

Helping a survivor and noticing the signs of suicidal tendencies becomes challenging. As family and friends:

• Make sure that after treatment ends, a survivor should still goes for regular doctor visits. A professional healthcare provider can usually screen signs of depression. Also, the survivor may talk openly about emotional distress to his healthcare provider with no fear of judgment.

• A mental healthcare professional with expertise in psycho-oncology has been shown to be an effective intervention if signs of deep depression or anxiety are detected. They can facilitate stress management, adjustment, effective coping, and process the grief commonly experienced. I don’t know of any psycho-oncologists found in Bangkok, but I know a few counselors who work with survivors.

“If someone you know talks about killing themselves, having no reason to live, feeling like things would be better if they weren't there, feels trapped, or says that they feel like a burden to other people, those are clear warning signs.” Ben Michaelis, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of Your Next Big Thing

• Support groups proved very successful in the survivor’s mental condition and overall health. In Bangkok, there is only one support group for breast cancer survivors.There are no clinics, no hospitals and no organizations providing any information or help to survivors -- neither for Thais nor for foreigners. So your help for survivors is crucial.

I have decided to create a Cancer Support Group, but it’s not as easy as you think -- or I thought. A support Group in Thailand is considered as a nonprofit organization in Thai law called Foundation.

I am happy to save you all the administrative hassles that one has to to go through to create a foundation. The trick is to register and start any charitable organization, foundation, you have to provide proof from a bank that 200,000 baht were deposited under the name of the foundation. This amount stays in the bank account indefinitely; it can’t be used for the support group’s operational expenses or investments. It’s like a deposit paid when renting an apartment.

If you have another solution or ideas for creating a cancer support group in Bangkok without having 200,000 baht; please feel free to contact me.

In the meantime, stay tuned to the signs of suicidal tendencies and stay close to your beloved survivor -- if you have a doubt as to what he/she is feeling or going through; don’t hesitate to contact me or ask the advice of a healthcare professional.

[1] Study from School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, in 2012.

#PsychologicalCondition