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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
Depression is one of the most common types of mental distress. Feelings of sadness, grief, or distress are a normal response to having cancer. Dreams, plans, and the future may feel uncertain.
But if you’ve been feeling depressed for a long time and it hasn’t gotten better, or if it’s keeping you from doing your daily activities, it’s important to find support.
Depression can describe a temporary mood or feeling. It can also describe a mental health diagnosis.
The most common types of depression in people who have, or had, cancer are:
Depression isn’t caused by just one thing. Studies show that when a person has depression, it is often caused by a combination of different factors. This can include:
There are several other, common health problems that have symptoms similar to depression. Your doctor might check to see if you have any of these problems.
Treating these health problems could relieve your symptoms. If you also have depression, these other problems could make your depression worse. It’s important to rule them out.
Learn more about anxiety, mental distress, and other mood changes that can happen during and after cancer treatment.
One in four people who have, or had, cancer experiences depression. It can happen at any point during your cancer journey. For some people, depression starts soon after diagnosis. For other people, it can start in the weeks or even months after cancer treatment ends.
If you had depression in the past, you are more likely to experience it again after your cancer diagnosis.
There are several other things that can also increase your risk of depression:
It's important to recognize the symptoms of depression, so you can take steps to manage it or prevent it from getting worse. Also, if you notice signs and symptoms of depression in a friend or family member, you can encourage that person to get help.
You might be experiencing depression if you have some of these symptoms nearly every day for 2 weeks or more:
Sometimes, symptoms of anxiety or distress can go along with depression.
Symptoms like tiredness, poor appetite, and sleep changes can also be side effects of cancer or cancer treatment. These may or may not be related to depression.
Certain behaviors can also be a sign of depression.
These behaviors don’t always mean a person has depression. They can be caused by lots of other things. But a persistent low mood with one or more of the following behavior changes could be a sign of depression:
Symptoms of depression are usually caused by more than one thing. This is one reason depression looks different for everyone. If you think you, or a loved one, might have depression, it’s important to get help. Your health care team can screen you for depression or check to see if any other medical problems are causing your symptoms.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support via phone or chat for people in distress, resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Includes information on finding your local crisis center.
Phone: 988
Text: 988 (English and Spanish only)
Website:
To get immediate help, you can also go to the emergency department or call 911.
Many experts recommend screening everyone with cancer for anxiety and depression. If your health care team asks you about your depression, share how you’re really feeling.
They might ask questions to learn more about:
Managing depression is very personal and individualized. It’s different for everyone. If you have depression, your treatment will depend on your specific situation, lifestyle, and needs.
Treatment might include talk therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Sometimes, other specialized activities like light therapy and mindfulness meditation are also combined with these standard medical treatments.
The goal of treatment is to improve your symptoms of depression, reduce your suffering, and improve your quality of life.
There are many types of psychotherapy (talk therapy). The most common types used to treat depression include:
Your doctor or cancer care team might suggest adding medications if depression is affecting your everyday life or isn’t improving. There are many types of medicines that can be used to treat depression. Many of them work for anxiety or other mental health conditions as well.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most common type of medicine used to treat depression. There are certain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) that affect depression. SSRIs stop your body from absorbing these chemicals.
The most common SSRIs used for depression are: Fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), and escitalopram (Lexapro).
Some SSRIs are also used to treat anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), and bipolar disorders.
The most common SSRI side effects are sexual problems (low libido, erectile dysfunction), weight gain, stomach problems (heartburn, nausea, diarrhea, or constipation), insomnia, headaches, and dizziness. If you have bad side effects with one SSRI, your health care team might have you try a different one. You might not have the same side effects with a different medicine.
SSRIs usually take 4-6 weeks to make a difference, so it’s important to be patient.
Brain stimulation therapies work by activating or inhibiting certain parts of the brain with electricity. They are used for some people with treatment-resistant depression.
Daily light therapy helps with many types of depression, not just seasonal depression. It involves using a special light every day (morning is best) for at least 30 minutes. Adding light therapy to other treatments can make them even more effective. People usually see improvement within a week or so.
Getting natural light outside is an even better source of light therapy, if it’s an option for you. But if you can’t get outside or are just too tired, light therapy can be a helpful tool.
Activities like yoga, reflexology, and acupuncture can also improve depression during and after cancer treatment. Studies show that these complementary therapies improve depression symptoms and quality of life.
Complementary therapies are often used alongside conventional (regular) medical treatments, like medicine and psychotherapy.
Learn more about complementary therapies.
Studies show that certain mindfulness-based activities can improve symptoms of depression.
Mindfulness is about noticing and being present with your thoughts, emotions, body, and the world around you.
Our minds distract us from the present moment all the time, so it’s easy to get caught up in thoughts and worries about the past or future.
Mindfulness can help you stay connected to the present moment.
Learn more about practicing mindfulness and relaxation.
It’s important to know that you might still have depression sometimes, even if you’re being treated for it. This doesn’t mean it’s not working for you. The goal is to get your depression to a manageable level, so it doesn’t stop you from living your life and finding joy in the activities and people you love.
Often, there isn’t one single fix. Something might even work one day but not the next. The more coping methods you have ready, the better prepared you’ll be when you need them.
It can be difficult to talk about mental health. It might help to write down some of the symptoms you’re having or questions you want to ask. Here are a few ideas:
The P站视频 medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
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Rivest J and Levenson J. Patients with cancer: Overview of the clinical features and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. UpToDate. UpToDate Inc; 2024. Updated January 2023. Accessed January 5, 2024. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/patients-with-cancer-overview-of-the-clinical-features-and-diagnosis-of-psychiatric-disorders
Saad AM, Gad MM, Al-Husseini MJ, AlKhayat MA, Rachid A, Alfaar AS and Hamoda H. Suicidal death within a year of a cancer diagnosis: A population-based study. Cancer. 2019. 125: 972-979. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.31876
Syrjala KL & Chiyon Yi J. Overview of psychosocial issues in the adult cancer survivor. UpToDate. UpToDate Inc; 2023. Updated October 2023. Accessed December 15, 2023. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-psychosocial-issues-in-the-adult-cancer-survivor
Last Revised: July 25, 2024
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