Casey K

Hi, my name is Casey. My diagnosis was acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and my question is: What are some ways to cope with the emotional and psychological challenges after diagnosis and treatment?

Samuel Brotkin, PhD

Thank you for the question. My name is Dr. Samuel Brotkin. I’m a licensed psychologist and specialize in supporting children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer.

The question is a is an important one because I think generally, we don’t do the best job of talking to patients about the long term emotional and psychological challenges folks face after treatment. There are a range of challenges that that we see. But first and foremost, it’s important to note that this transition from active treatment to life thereafter for many are is can be a difficult one, and folks may experience anxiety. They may experience depression. They may experience post-traumatic stress symptoms, fear of recurrence. They also may experience different challenges at different points in time, and so different than medical treatment that may that may be more linear in nature.

Challenges that arise after treatment may not always be as clear or straightforward. What is important is that there are a range of resources that can be really helpful for you during this stage, I would recommend speaking with your medical provider, reaching out to great organizations like Blood Cancer United to learn more about resources that can be available. Mental health professionals are available and can work with you directly in thinking about building a set of tools to help navigate and mitigate some of the challenges that you’re experiencing, and they can also be recognizing during this stage that you know getting help is is critical and could help really in taking that next step and thinking about life after cancer, recognizing that cancer for many people will always be a part of of you in some way, shape, or form from a physical or psychological perspective. But knowing just like when you got your medical treatment and you had a great support team. Ensuring that you build a support team for yourself is important, and I’d recommend reaching out, being open, and recognizing that it may take some time to find the best fit.