How to deal with depression and cancer?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-04-2008
How to deal with depression and cancer?
3
Mon, 02-04-2008 - 2:18pm
My mother in law is battling colon cancer.  She has recently found out that her cancer has spread to her lymph nodes and she is currently undergoing a second round of chemo.  She is severly depressed and refuses to get help.  She will not talk about her situation, she will not leave the house unless it is to go to the doctors or to church, she won't speak to anyone about the illness and she breaks down in panic attacks the nights before she get her chemo.  She is pushing away her family.  We want so badly to speak to her but when you go see her, she acts as if nothing is wrong and talks about anything BUT her illness.  I don't think it is healthy for her to remain couped up in the house everyday, all day, but you can't force her to leave.  She is totally against getting any kind of mental and emotional help and we fear that her last days will be spent being miserable and sad.  I can't even beging to imagine what she is going through and I am trying to not be insensitive but she is upsetting her children (my husband and his brother) so much by pushing them away and trying to sheild them from her illness that it is hurting them.  I don't think she realizes that she is doing it - she feels as if she is in this battle alone.  How can we get her to see a mental health professional or ask her oncologist to get her help?  How can we get her to see that she is not in this alone?  How can we get her to see that we are there for her and that she can't keep it all bottled up inside?

Lilypie Expecting a baby Ticker

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 02-05-2008 - 12:08pm

Welcome to the board.

Hope everyone has a great Summer!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-04-2008
Tue, 02-05-2008 - 1:39pm

Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts.

Lilypie Expecting a baby Ticker

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2007
Tue, 02-05-2008 - 9:19pm
I don't really have anything to add but want to echo all that Philly has said.

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