Cancer and grief: Part II
Cancer is a very painful disease with up to 60 percent of sufferers experiencing significant pain and 25 percent of all cancer patients dying without their pain controlled. While some pain can be treated with non-opioid analgesics, opioids are widely used for cancer pain and have been for many generations. A specialty which unfortunately sees less use is psychotherapy even though almost 50 percent of cancer patients will experience psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, or delirium. Psychosocial support for families and other loved ones is also beneficial for all involved, as this can help loved ones understand more clearly the suffering and severity of the illness. Having loved ones fail to express empathy can be isolating and injurious to the patient, particularly as they approach end of life.
Patients may experience physical deterioration, grief, disenfranchised grief, and growth at end of life. As their body deteriorates, they may feel a loss of self-worth, wellness, and wholeness which leads to a feeling of powerlessness. As time passes, they may feel a heightened awareness of thoughts, values, and preferences which leads to inner strength. Clinicians must acknowledge a patient’s grief for this growth to occur, however, as well as facilitating reflection, engaging in respectful communication, empowering individuals, and offering activities to allow the patient to pull away from the world of cancer suffering.
Once considered a mysterious disease to speak about in hushed tones behind closed doors, cancer has become a condition more widely discussed, studied, and supported over the last century. Cancers are no longer seen as something that occur only in people who engage in risky activities but rather seen as what they truly are: a roll of the cellular dice that can end with correct gene replication or a series of mistakes leading to malignancy. The most important entity in all of this, however, is the patient experiencing the disease. It is not enough to simply treat the body – as cancer affects the whole person, so must the whole person be supported.
For end of life, while the abilities of science have a hand in how each patient experiences this, the empathy the patient experiences is paramount. Each person has the potential of identifying their purpose and being relieved of suffering, but the support and love of others is what often makes this realization possible, allowing for blissful release.
