The Behavioural Responses Associated with Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Question: Discuss the Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioural responses that Mary is likely to Experience in relation to her Diagnosis. Answer: Introduction The diagnosis of cancer impacts various aspects of patients lives, which includes physical, psychological, spiritual, and social dimensions. This causes long-lasting effects after the diagnosis on the quality of the patients life(Zhou, Gautam, Recht, 2006). In this report, the situation of female named Mary was considered to identify and analyze the different responses, including behavioral, cognitive, and emotionalexperienced after the diagnosis of first stage breast cancer. Risks and related protective factors will also be discussed for Marys situation. Mary is a 25-year female who is married and have two twin children (boys with age 8 months). Her husband is not living with her as he is in the air force of Middle East. She first discovered her breast lump on the left side while she was showering. After which she becomes anxious about associated risks to her body. Her doctor indicated her first stage breast cancer, according to the tests conducted onher. Marys has restricted contact with his husband who was not available during the birth of twin children.As Mary lives in housing, provided by the department of defense, so she has no family relatives nearby. She regularly maintains contact with her siblings and parents through Skype and has not met them since the children were born. During the treatment, physicians set some goals to save patients lives, which include prevention of the spread of cancer in the body and protection of breast from possible cancer risks. The patient also shares these set goals, but during the early process of disease,the patient comes to know about the breast cancer which is not a disease confined to the breast but can also spread to other parts. Breast cancer is an illness that affects each and every aspect of the life of women and brings changes in her behavioral, psychological and cognitive functions. Females having breast cancer frequently experience a probable type of psychological and emotional reactions towards the diagnosis of cancer, which is based on the age and stage of a patients life.Marys age is only 25 years and secondary to her age, she can experience emotional and psychological issues. Mary experiences anxiety during and after the discussion of her results. Marys first reaction followed by cancer diagnosis was she wou ld be scared due to the thought of dying secondary to the disease as Mary is living alone with her children and there is no one around her to support or encourage her. The patients with breast cancer require and needs care for the provision of supportive and an emotionally safe environment during their medical treatment. But thereis no one except her physician to whom she can contact during the time of need. Mary needs her family and husband to be with her for supporting her fight with the disease which will further enhance her self-esteem to recover from the disease(Dentschuk, 2006). The most difficult time for the patient withbreast cancer is first 3-4 weeks after the diagnosis which is difficult to manage. During this time Mary finds her on a roller coaster of emotion crying uncontrollably and also feeling angry, withdrawn and depressed. Mary felt that her body betrayed her because she neither ate nor did anything wrong which could cause her cancer. This is a time when she eagerly wants to know about her illness, future impacts and its treatment and other related concerns like her survival and physical attractiveness after the cancer treatment. She worries about the reactions of her friends and family member for her cancer. Her concerns revolve around her twin babys future and responsibility of the family considering aftereffects of cancer, such as loss of a breast and real-life independence(Kwan et al., 2011). Mary being independent women may feel uncomfortable while asking for help and it may result in internal conflict. Marys concerns about her medical billswill also arise at some point, even if she has medical insurance secondary to a large number of tests and various bills associated with it(Wingfield, 2013). Mary may confuse and frustrate by the different available options for treatment (mastectomy or lumpectomy) and decisions she must make to prevent further damage due to cancer. She also needs to decide whether she requiresa second opinion and where to turn for emotional support.Unexpected problems, change in appearance secondary to cancer, and financial problems are the cause of emotional concerns of the cancer patients(Groarke, Curtis, Kerin, 2011). Research shows that satisfaction level of women increases with the amount of information she was provided after she had decided the treatment options. When the problems related to the primary treatment subside, the patient suffers from behavioral symptoms such asinsomnia, depression, and fatigue. There is a need for management of these symptoms to prevent its recurrence. Fatigue results from the chemotherapy treatment and associated anxieties of cancer.Mary also fears about the prejudices and discrimination she has to face in society secondary to her cancer-related effects(Wang, Chung, 2012).The psychological stress impacts the endocrine, immune, and autonomic system, resulting in the increased secretion or formation of inflammatory cytokines.Inflammation plays a key role inthe mechanism of the biological symptomssuch as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and depression and it is also the cause of cancer recurrence which is the probable risk associated with breast cancer(Azim, Partr idge, 2014).The cognitive problemsexperienced by Mary are attention difficulty, problems with working memory and concentration, and difficulty with executive functions which can last for longer periods of time(Chen, Miaskowski, Liu, Chen, 2011). The protective factor for alleviating symptoms of cancer is family and social support. Mary needs people she can turn to gain comfort and strength. Support can be in any forms: friends, a cancer support organization, spiritual groups, counselors, family, and religious groups. These are very crucial need for the Mary situation. In this case of Mary, if she will be cared and loved by society members living nearby, then it willenhance her self-esteem and she will feel valued. It can result in improved well-being of the cancer patient.Mary would experience less mood disturbance and improved personality if she had more people to talk with in a social networkwhich will help to adjust during the first year after diagnosis. Mary also needs to suppress her emotions to prevent any exaggerations of hercancer. To manage the situation of Mary, her husband and parents should accompany her to encourage her and help in alleviating the associated symptoms with the help of coping strategies such posit ive reframing, planning, and self-distraction. The stoic acceptance and fighting spirit were the most common steps that the cancer patients apply to adjust. The strategy of self-distraction helps todeny, avoid, and suppress negative emotions, but they only give temporary relief.Positive reappraisal, problem-solving, cognitive avoidance, social support, and emotional discharge are the ways to manage the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive symptoms related to cancer.Emotional support and expression of emotions playan important role in improving the wellbeing the patients as well as psychologicalstatus(Rey et al., 2012).An intervention based onbehavioral and psychological can decrease the fatigue of patient, but studies show that exercise has more positive impacts on decreasing fatigue, reducing inflammatory markers and increasing intervention efficacy (such as various exercise regimens and walking)(Borch, Braaten, Lund, Weiderpass, 2015). Mary must take part in an educational cancer group to get information regarding cancer and strategies to manage it as well as side effects of treatment which will have positive impacts on physical functioning, vitality, and limitations to their normal daily activities(Mehrabi, Hajian, Simbar, Hoshyari, Zayeri, 2015). Conclusions Being diagnosed with breast cancer and its treatment is physically and emotionally challenging for Mary. The psychologicalandphysical impacts of the cancer aftermath and its diagnosis are notable. The psychological response includes adverse impacts on immune secretions and the endocrine system of Mary(Rugo, Rosen, 2011).The behavioral symptoms are sleep disturbance, fatigue, anxiety and depression.Stress exerts direct impacts on physiological risk and psychological processes. The coping strategies for Mary are the provision of emotional support from her husband and family, social support to improve her well-being, exercise and self-distractions approaches can help manage her cancer-related issues. References Azim, H., Partridge, A. (2014).Biology of breast cancer in young women.Breast Cancer Research,16(4). Borch, K., Braaten, T., Lund, E., Weiderpass, E. (2015).Physical activity before and after breast cancer diagnosis and survival - the Norwegian women and cancer cohort study.BMC Cancer,15(1). Chen, M., Miaskowski, C., Liu, L., Chen, S. (2011). Changes in perceived attentional function in women following breast cancer surgery.Breast Cancer Research And Treatment,131(2), 599-606. Dentschuk, A. (2006). The impact of diagnosis and treatment of early breast cancer in young women - my own perspective.The Breast,15, S15-S16. Groarke, A., Curtis, R., Kerin, M. (2011). Global stress predicts both positive and negative emotional adjustment at diagnosis and post-surgery in women with breast cancer.Psycho-Oncology,22(1), 177-185. Kwan, M., Greenlee, H., Lee, V., Castillo, A., Gunderson, E., Habel, L. et al. (2011). Multivitamin use and breast cancer outcomes in women with early-stage breast cancer: the Life After Cancer Epidemiology study.Breast Cancer Research And Treatment,130(1), 195-205. Mehrabi, E., Hajian, S., Simbar, M., Hoshyari, M., Zayeri, F. (2015). Coping response following a diagnosis of breast cancer: A systematic review.Electronic Physician,7(8), 1575-1583. Rey, D., Bouhnik, A., Mancini, J., Bendiane, M., Sror, V., Viens, P. (2012). Self-Reported Cognitive Impairment After Breast Cancer Treatment in Young Women from the ELIPPSE40 Cohort: The Long-Term Impact of Chemotherapy.The Breast Journal,18(5), 406-414. Rugo, H., Rosen, M. (2011). Reducing the Long-term Effects of Chemotherapy in Young Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer.JAMA,306(3). Wang, H., Chung, U. (2012). Healthy Lifestyle Changes During the Period Before and After Cancer Diagnosis Among Breast Cancer Survivors.Asian Pacific Journal Of Cancer Prevention,13(9), 4769-4772. Wingfield, K. (2013). Emotional Support Through Breast Cancer GalgutCordelia Emotional Support Through Breast Cancer 70pp 5.99 Radcliffe 9781846199363 1846199360.Cancer Nursing Practice,12(10), 10-10. Zhou, P., Gautam, S., Recht, A. (2006).Factors Affecting Outcome for Young Women with Early Stage Invasive Breast Cancer Treated with Breast-conserving Therapy.Breast Cancer Research And Treatment,101(1), 51-57.