Coping With Cancer: Where To Get Help

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Jul 25, 2012, 04:00 ET

By the National Cancer Institute

BETHESDA, Md., July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Although having cancer takes a toll on the body, for many patients the emotional strains are just as difficult. The stresses of undergoing treatment, along with the impact it has on relationships with family and friends, can be overwhelming. It's common for people with cancer to need help learning how to cope with the many emotions that emerge after receiving a diagnosis.

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In the African American community, family ties are strong and often run from the immediate family to extended family members. But even that kind of support isn't always enough to help cancer patients get through the lonely times. When someone is in the middle of a grueling treatment regimen and still trying to mentally process the fact that they have cancer, it can be hard to feel as if anyone understands what they are going through.

The National Cancer Institute offers free and easy-to-understand information about ways to cope with cancer. These materials may help you or someone you love who is facing the disease. Visit our website, www.cancer.gov, to learn about topics such as ways to deal with the physical and emotional effects of cancer, the impact on children and family members, and tips for communicating. Here are some web-based "Coping with Cancer" resources you should know about:

Coping with Cancer: Supportive and Palliative Care
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping

Taking Time: Support for People with Cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/takingtime

Coping with Advanced Cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/advancedcancer

Coping with the Side Effects of Chemotherapy
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/chemo-side-effects

Coping with the Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/radiation-side-effects

For your friends and family:
When Someone You Love Is Being Treated for Cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/when-someone-you-love-is-treated

When Someone You Love Has Advanced Cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/when-someone-you-love-has-advanced-cancer

In addition, NCI has free publications available on coping and many other topics. These can be ordered by visiting www.cancer.gov/publications or by calling the NCI Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237).

NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI web site at www.cancer.gov (or m.cancer.gov from your mobile device) or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). More articles and videos in the culturally relevant Lifelines series are available at www.cancer.gov/lifelines.

SOURCE National Cancer Institute