How cancer can make you feel
Depression is different from feeling sad. It is an illness and needs treatment. But there are treatments to help you cope with depression when you have cancer.
Being depressed is much more intense than feeling down or sad. Feeling sad now and then is part of life, but depression is a much stronger feeling.
Several things can cause depression. Being diagnosed with cancer is enough to trigger an episode of depression in some people.
Symptoms of depression, such as weight loss and tiredness, can be caused by your cancer or by cancer treatment. They are not always reliable signs of depression in people with cancer.
Talking therapies and antidepressants are ways of treating depression. Some people use herbal remedies to help them feel better.
Last reviewed: 03 Nov 2022
Next review due: 03 Nov 2025
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