Can a cancer diagnosis cause PTSD?

Some cancer patients have PTSD years after diagnosis, study finds

A fifth of cancer patients experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a Malaysian study has found. About one-third of these still had consistent or worsening PTSD four years after diagnosis. The researchers said PTSD needed to be identified, monitored and treated early.

Becki McGuinness, who was diagnosed with bone cancer, said the resulting PTSD and depression were the biggest challenges for her. Becki was treated with chemotherapy after being diagnosed at the age of 21. When it didn't work, she was told she would need radiotherapy. "By the time I'd finished radiotherapy, and a few months passed, my periods were stopping. "It wasn't until I was 23 that I found out that I'd gone through the menopause and was infertile," she said. Read more...

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