Mental Illness

A cancer diagnosis is undoubtedly filled with many difficult emotions. Your entire family may be experiencing fear, anxiety, or a sense of hopelessness when facing this disease together. Depending on the type of cancer and stage of progression, you might also be coming to terms with decisions your older loved one has made about treatment options. Whatever their specific approach to treatment entails, the experience of cancer understandably has a big impact on their overall mental and emotional state. In fact, symptoms of depression can creep up in cancer patients without other people immediately recognizing them amid all that’s going on. When your aging loved one is already going through so much emotional upheaval, it can be challenging to know if certain behaviors are natural and to be expected—or if they’re signs of something more serious.

Flowers are blooming, the days are getting longer, and spring is in the air. Spring and summer are usually considered to be happy times of the year, and generally mean greater psychological well-being for many seniors. But this is not true for everyone. Scientists have discovered that there are unique, spring-specific factors known to be triggers for depression. These symptoms fall under the umbrella known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Familiarizing yourself with SAD (and how to treat it) can help you provide the best possible care for your loved ones, armed with the knowledge that the seasons may be responsible for their cloudy disposition.