The Cancerophobia , Also called carcinofobia, is the persistent fear of contracting cancer for the first time or of having it reproduced again if it has already happened previously.
It is a pathological situation that causes real disturbances and in which any physical symptom that can be felt is exaggerated. Fear must be irrational, persistent over time and unjustified.
On the other hand, related to cancerophobia is hypochondria. The hypochondriac patient has a constant concern motivated by the fear of being suffering from a disease, whereas in cancerophobia or other specific phobia only the possibility of acquiring it for the first time or that it is re-enacted in the case of people who have suffered it (but Without believing that it already has).
Causes of cancerophobia
The fear of having a cancer can be due to several reasons:
Fear that cancer may be hereditary
The possibility that the cancer can be hereditary is very important to the probability of suffering this phobia, especially when in the family there have already been cases of this disease.
Currently, genetic studies help to reduce the problem. Thanks to these, it is possible to determine whether or not certain genetic alterations have been inherited.
If it is positive, the patient is followed closely to detect the first signs that precede the disease and to be able to act immediately.
These studies not only reduce the fear of cancer, but Even optimistic attitude To be able to be conscious the person of not having genetic alterations that can trigger in the disease.
Having a cancer diagnosis
40% of those who receive this diagnosis need psychological and emotional support. Cancer affects the life of the patient, his family and the work and social environment.
There are changes in relationships with family, partners and friends, affecting their behavior in the generation of Feelings such as anger, anger, depression, or the guilt .
To have overcome a cancer
When you have had a cancer and it has passed, the fear is centered on the fear that it will reappear.
The revisions that these patients periodically pass through until they are definitively cured are discharged and should serve to reduce the fear of recurrence.
However, many patients visit the doctor more frequently for check-ups and are alert to a possible relapse. Studies have shown that there is no direct relationship between the actual risk and the perceived risk of contracting the disease and that through exhausted information we can handle fear in the best way.
The recommendations of the American Society of Oncology To overcome fear are the following: consult regularly with the specialist for further care, stay well informed about recurrence patterns (recurrence of disease), adopt a healthy lifestyle by caring for both food and exercise Habitual physique, try to reduce stress, spend a lot of time with friends and family and perform pleasurable activities.
Genetics and family history
There are genetic burdens and family history that may favor or increase the chances of getting cancer, but nothing is taken for granted.
Not only the genetic factor is relevant to be able to contract this disease. There are risk factors that in most cases can be avoided as bad eating habits or consumption of substances.
There is also research showing how Pattern of conduct type C And cancer are related. In 1980, researchers Morris and Greer raised the existence of a pattern of behavior that they called type C, but Gendron previously found that anxious and depressed women were prone to cancer.
It was in 1959 when Leshan carried out a literature review on this topic and concluded that hopelessness, loss, and depression are often predictive factors in the onset of cancer.
The type C conduct pattern has the following characteristics:
- Depression: Depression is considered an additional factor in the development and onset of cancer. People who suffer from depression have a higher risk of dying from cancer years later.
- Homelessness and hopelessness: This factor is highly related to the onset of cancer, so it is considered a good predictor of the development of cancer in addition to relapses of the disease itself. Their coping with stressful situations of helplessness and hopelessness is closely related to the onset of illness or reappearance.
- Lack of social support: The loss of important people in the social network of people can be an important factor contributing to the development of cancer. Also, people with greater relapses of the disease present a greater number of losses of recent loved ones than those that do not relapse. Research has concluded that lack of social support may be associated with NK lymphocytes , Cells that have the ability to destroy cancer cells when they appear, and, therefore, prevent the development of the disease.
- Inability to demonstrate negative emotions: People who are prone to cancer show great difficulty in expressing emotions of anger, aggressiveness, and other Negative emotions , While expressing Positive emotions (Love, solidarity, etc.) in excess. They are people who describe themselves as tending to keep negative emotions to themselves. That is to say, they feel these emotions but instead of expressing them in an assertive and appropriate way, they try to ignore them and to cancel them without being able to process them correctly or solve the problem . They are usually kind and too preoccupied with pleasing others.
symptom
The result of this set of thoughts towards oncological disease is the fear of suffering it, which can cause even more suffering in the person than the actual pathology itself.
This concern can cause two contrary behaviors in the person: the will to perform excessive unnecessary diagnostic tests or, on the contrary, to escape from any test for fear of the diagnosis of the pathology.
People affected by this phobia feel that if they are in contact with people suffering from this disease, they will be able to acquire it. Being next to a cancer patient, produces several symptoms and discomforts that make them think that the disease can spread throughout your body.
These fears are mainly associated with the fear of death, since, despite advances, cancer is still closely related to death.
To have in some degree a fear of developing a cancer or any other type of disease is normal in any individual. In fact, most people go through that fear sometime in life.
In the case of those who suffer from this phobia, the fear is so intense that it paralyzes and makes them dysfunctional, in these individuals any symptom is exaggerated. Some of the behaviors these people adopt in consequence of this irrational fear are:
- Avoid eating certain foods
- Get out
- Use certain products for self-care and that of your family, which makes life become very obsessive.
Treatment
It is very important that if you recognize the symptoms that I have described before and if you notice that this is affecting your daily life, you should contact a health professional who can help you more directly Get over your phobia .
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
The most common and most effective treatment for specific phobias, such as cancerophobia, is treatment with psychological therapies, specifically Cognitive-behavioral therapies .
This type of treatment will always have to be developed by a health specialist. Although this is the most common treatment, it is best to find a useful treatment and adapt to the needs and circumstances of each person to successfully overcome the situation.
In addition to obtaining reliable information that helps to relativize apprehension (even on advanced treatment technologies), it is also important to talk with friends and family.
Social support
Social support in this phobia is very important. Those close to you can be of great help to relieve stress Y the anxiety , Just like talking to people who have survived a cancer to build a realistic view of the chances of overcoming the disease, as well as the causes necessary to contract it.
Lifestyle
It is always a good time to adopt a Lifestyle healthy. It is vitally important to understand that getting sick does not always mean that we are going to have an unfavorable outcome.
There are steps that can be taken, which are under our control and can substantially improve our health and quality of life , While reducing the risk of certain diseases. If we go to the doctor on time, we can detect the disease in the early stages, with a high percentage of cures and with few sequelae in us.
What is cancer?
Unfortunately, cancer is one of the most common diseases in society today, but also with a percentage of patients who can overcome it, thanks to a prompt diagnosis of the disease.
Cancer is a disease caused by abnormal overgrowth of cells. There are more than one hundred types of cancer , Depending on which cell is growing. In many types of cancer cells cluster and form solid tumors. In contrast, in some cells the cells are dispersed in the bloodstream (as in the case of leukemia) or in the lymphatic system (in lymphoma).
The prognosis of cancer has improved greatly over the years and thanks to advances in treatment and early detection programs. Even so, although survival rates have increased, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death.
Is an early diagnosis possible?
Misdiagnosis of cancer is possible, but it is not common if you seek professional medical care.
Doctors will usually perform comprehensive diagnostic tests if they believe there is a possibility of cancer.
Diagnostic tests have also improved in accuracy, including blood tests for more complete tumor markers.
The self-diagnosis of cancer is usually incorrect although it is quite common for people to believe they are suffering from a cancer because of some symptom they relate to the disease (such as weight loss, headache Or migraines, etc.) without being aware that these symptoms are often cause of other diseases or minor pathologies.
On the other hand, it is more common than it should be for people to have cancer and not know it because many types of cancer have a slow onset with no early symptoms and develop over time until they are so advanced that the patient Accounts for some major crisis.
For this reason it is very valuable to perform regular tests of monitoring and control of various types of cancer to prevent serious cases in which it is diagnosed late and where the disease, unfortunately, is already too advanced.
References
- Sandín B. Stress. In: Belloch A, Sandín B, Ramos F, editors. Manual of psychopathology. Madrid: McGraw-Hill; nineteen ninety five.
- Barbara, L., Andersen, B., Farrar, W., Golden-Kreutz, D., Glaser, R., Emery, Ch., Crespin, T., Shapiro, Ch. & Carson, W. (2004) . Psychological, Behavioral, and Immune Changes After a Psychological Intervention: A Clinical Trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol. 22, 17, 3570-3580.
- Breitbart, W., Rosenfeld, B., Pessin, H., Kaim, M., Funesti-Esch, J., Galietta, M., Nelson, C. J. & Brescia, R. (2000). Depression, hopelessness, and desire for hastened death in terminally ill patients with cancer. JAMA, 284 (22), 2907-11.