We spoke with Ruth Pachón, a psychologist from the League Against Cancer, to understand a little more about how this type of cancer affects women and what support they receive from this discipline.
Official figures from Globocan (World Cancer Observatory), annually there are more than 4,742 new cases of cervical cancer and 2,490 deaths from this disease, with women between 30 and 49 years of age being the most affected.
According to the La Liga Against Cancer Institute, early detection of the virus is identified through the HPV test and taking into account warning signs such as abundant vaginal discharge or bleeding after having sexual relations.
“We have tools to combat it, but they are not used: the HPV vaccine, screening tests and control of the main risks, such as starting sexual relations at an early age, having multiple partners, and not using condoms. Education about these factors should be based on how to prevent them with appropriate language for young people and women who have begun their sexual life; it should even be linked to men, since sexuality is a responsibility of both,” says epidemiologist Diego. Plazas.
How does cervical cancer affect you psychologically?
When a woman is diagnosed with any type of cancer, as in this case, cervical cancer, all her areas are destabilized: physical health, mental health, spirituality, the ability to socialize, etc., and that is why reason, that parallel to the entire medical process that must be faced, it is necessary to have psychological support.
When faced with the diagnosis, the woman goes through a series of stages that can be similar to grieving. At first she goes into a state of shock, she doesn’t know what to do, after a week she begins to analyze the solutions to her situation.
Enter a process of denial and acceptance of everything that is happening. There are episodes of crying, of anguish, of fear, of getting the courage to visit the doctor, have all the exams and find out all the procedures that you can resort to to beat the cancer. During the process, anxiety and depression can be activated.
When the disease is overcome, decisions revolve around how to return to life, what care should be taken, the fear that exists in case the cancer or the human papillomavirus reappears, more care with the partner is listed, the scale The alertness to any anomaly in the body grows, as well as the fear of the experience of living through the entire process that has already been gone through.
The importance of externalizing it
In the face of a positive diagnosis, it is super important to talk about the fears we feel as a family; this exercise helps mitigate the emotions that do not allow us to be or feel well. Crying together is not bad because it is a way of letting go, just like going for a walk, breathing, dancing, singing, or any other activity that helps release and unite the family.
Sometimes people feel that they are repetitive when talking to someone else about what they feel or think, they consider that they only generate complaints during treatment or that they are repetitive with fears and, in the end, they end up not talking to someone, in this case, It is important to keep in mind that this is what psychological therapies are for, the specialist does not get tired of hearing “the same issue, complaint, fear or situation that afflicts the person.”
Cancer and stigma
We know that cancer is not predictable, it has a cure; in many cases, but there is still a stigma towards the person who has cancer and with this type of cervical cancer, as it is related to sexuality, there is more stigmatization. That’s why the fear and guilt that the person faces.
The emotional area of a patient is very important for the development of different diseases and, on this, there are also many studies, that is, as prevention it is important to manage emotions, since people who guard, who feel sadness, have low self-esteem, They are accelerated, among other characteristics, each one is characterized by different diseases because we are one in mind and body.
Go to the psychologist
Attendance at the psychologist must be on one’s own initiative, so when a person decides to visit the specialist, he or she must review the stage of the cancer and the treatment to help them manage all the explosion of emotions and thoughts they are facing. life, death, family, friends and others close to us.
In the case of young women the fear turns; Also, how to face her family or her partner. Why the couple? Many times, as a result of these diagnoses, relationship problems arise because for this type of cancer the patient, at some point, had the human papillomavirus (HPV) and what happens in couples where this occurs? Ideas begin to be created that there was infidelity and insecurities and problems come to the surface.
What is psychological work?
From psychology, the objective is to help women and their families have a better quality of life, to understand and heal wounds, to improve interpersonal relationships, and even to create them by strengthening communication, empowerment, and adherence to the treatment they receive. the woman is going to submit.