Caring For Your Mental Health Matters, Too
- Facing brain cancer may be particularly difficult because emotional symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and personality changes, are not always caused solely by the stress of facing cancer. They can stem directly from changes within the brain.
- For many, these mental health challenges can be just as difficult as the physical symptoms of the disease itself, but support is available. At comprehensive cancer centers, mental health support is increasingly integrated into brain tumor care.
- “We work very closely with colleagues in social work and psychiatry to really help patients feel the best that they can through their cancer journey,” Dr. Juan Ospina, a neuro-oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.
- Treatment might include counseling, medication with antidepressants or anti-anxieties, support groups, or a combination of approaches.
“Depression [with] these tumors is very common and under-recognized,” Dr. Juan Ospina, a neuro-oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.
Read MoreAddressing Emotional Changes
Unlike cancers elsewhere in the body, brain tumors affect the organ that governs mood, personality, motivation, and emotional regulation. “We know our brains and our minds are the same organ,” Dr. Ospina explains. “When there’s a tumor in the brain, that can also cause emotional symptoms.”Scientific research supports this connection. Tumors, treatments, inflammation, seizures, and medications such as steroids can all disrupt neural networks involved in mood regulation. As a result, anxiety and depression are often biologically driven rather than purely psychological responses to facing cancer.
Depression & Anxiety: Treatment Options
Fear of recurrence, uncertainty surrounding scans, and the chronic nature of many brain tumors all contribute to emotional distress for these patients.
“It’s a challenging disease because there’s always a fear of recurrence,” Dr. Ospina notes. Even when tumors are stable, the anticipation surrounding follow-up MRIs can take a significant emotional toll.
Importantly, these symptoms are treatable, and addressing them can meaningfully improve quality of life. At comprehensive cancer centers, mental health support is increasingly integrated into brain tumor care.
Support groups can also be a valuable resource, giving patients a safe space to share experiences, gain practical advice, and feel less alone in their journey.
“We work very closely with colleagues in social work and psychiatry to really help patients feel the best that they can through their cancer journey,” Dr. Ospina explains. “I absolutely feel comfortable prescribing antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications if there’s room for medication to treat either anxiety or depression that can easily be done concurrently with treatment.”
Treatment might include:
- Counseling
- Medication (antidepressants or anti-anxieties)
- Support groups
- A combination of approaches
Research in psycho-oncology shows that treating mental health symptoms can improve treatment adherence, reduce fatigue, and enhance overall well-being.
Living With An Incurable Diagnosis
One of the most difficult aspects of brain tumor care is learning that some tumors may not be curable. This knowledge alone can fuel hopelessness — but there are reasons to hope. Even if a tumor can’t be fully cured, it can often be managed over time, much like other long-term health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
“Although these tumors are incurable with our current treatment options, patients can lead a normal life or close to normal for a large number of years,” Dr. Ospina explains. This perspective can help patients hold uncertainty while still planning for the future.
“There should always be room for hope,” Dr. Ospina adds. “Treatment options are changing quickly, and I fully expect that we’re going to come up with new and better treatments.”
Tools To Support Emotional Well-Being
Mental health care also includes daily habits that support resilience. Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms patients experience, and physical activity can be a powerful tool to help fight it. “What we’ve found that has the best effect is physical exercise,” Dr. Ospina says.
Staying mentally engaged matters as well. Patients are encouraged to remain cognitively active and seek neuropsychological or occupational therapy support when challenges arise. Social connection and support groups can further reduce isolation.
Addressing mental health does not change the diagnosis, but it can change how patients live with it. When anxiety and depression are treated, patients often feel more empowered, more present, and better equipped to cope with uncertainty.
Dr. Ospina sees mental health care as inseparable from good cancer care. “We try to maximize patients’ quality of life as much as we can,” he says.
For patients and caregivers, the message is clear: emotional suffering is not something to endure silently. Support is available, and asking for help is a vital part of caring for the whole person.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- What do you recommend if I am feeling down, anxious, or generally not like myself?
- Do you recommend medication, like antidepressants, in my case?
- What are the potential side effects of these medications? Can they interfere with my treatment?
- Is there a therapist or social worker on staff I can talk to?
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