According to a study of breast cancer patients by researchers in Australia, women who live alone and well-educated women are hardest hit emotionally by breast cancer. Co-chief investigator of the study, Robin Bell, suggested that women living alone may benefit by targeted provision of social support.

Researchers think that the lower wellbeing results of more educated women may reflect greater anxiety over making decisions and difficulty coping with a sense loss of control. Dr. Susan R Davis, who was involved with the study, encourages health care providers to be sensitive to the possibility that highly educated women may not deal as well psychologically with the disease.

How do you feel about these study results? Anyone with breast cancer needs support, and there are several resources out there.

Resources for Women with Breast Cancer

The Reach to Recovery program by the American Cancer Society matches volunteers who’ve had breast cancer with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The volunteers offer support and hope at a very overwhelming time. The volunteers stay in contact with patients as long as breast cancer is a concern. To be matched with a volunteer or to volunteer yourself, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

You may also take an online “I Can Cope” class by the American Cancer Society. No registration is required.

Take advantage of the YourShoes 24/7 Breast Cancer Support Center by Breast Cancer Network of Strength. A trained peer counselor can answer your questions and provide support on the phone. Call them anytime at 1-800-221-2141.

(Image via WikiMedia Commons)

Post from: Blisstree

Emotional Health of Breast Cancer Patients

Today kicks off NaNoWriMo, my friends. I attempted NaNoWriMo last year, but pretty much hid my face until it was December was sidetracked by the third day in due to an unexpected but necessary move. This year, I really have no excuse not to participate. I even have a story this time. Sure, none of the characters have names and I have no idea why any of them even know each other, but hey, Harry Potter wasn’t written in a day.

As you read this, I’m probably curled up in the fetal position somewhere.

Anyway, on to the goods. There’s a lot of it. Probably because I’m procrastinating.

This week at Mental Health Notes, I shared some of the brain benefits of pomegranates (and have since been coached on the word’s correct pronunciation), mused about the effectiveness of Bath & Body Works’s new line of sleep-promoting products, and shared online resources for breast cancer patients and prescription medication education (say that five times fast). Ooh, I also got a little creepy with an article about the psychology of Halloween characters, but perhaps the most important post of all was the one about online resources for election education.

Regarding mental health advocacy,the DBSA has launched Find A Pro, a tool geared toward helping along peer recommendations for mental health professionals, and is even giving away cool DBSA-gear to the first 2,000 people who recommend a professional. And, I’ve met two new peeps. Fellow depression survivor and writer Anthony McCune is holding a blog carnival to celebrate the three-year blogiversary of his blog, The Lives and Times…. and mental health blogger Michele Rosenthal writes Parasites of the Mind, a blog about healing post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the world of mental health news, things aren’t as good. The suicide rate for middle-aged folks in America is rising, a new study suggests children with high IQs may be more likely to abuse alcohol as adults, propofol (a sedative used as an anti-seizure medication) may increase the risk of death, and smokers are more likely to have impulsive children (which totally explains my and my best friend’s childhood shenanigans). Oh, and while weight doesn’t seem to play a role in women’s sexual behavior, only 12 percent of women with sexual problems have those problems thanks to personal distress (that means it’s you, guys. That means it’s you).

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, times are bittersweet. Several of our very talented and passionate bloggers have decided it’s time for their career paths to take them elsewhere, and they will be deeply missed. Take a moment to say goodbye and wish them well!

• Kendra James of A Hearty Life and Diabetes Notes.
• Kristen King of Lively Women.
• Karen Lynch of Pink Ribbon Review.
• Hope Wilbanks of Weighting Line. (Hope’s predecessor, Diane Penna, has already taken over. Go say hi!)

Please note that these are just the departing bloggers who’ve written goodbye posts or introduction posts. There are others, as you’ll notice when you start looking at the other blogs. Let’s wish them well, and make their replacements feel welcome!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Procrastination Benefits Everyone

While perusing October’s issue of Shape (not a magazine my eyes often frequent; it just seems I qualified for a free issue this month), I ran into a full-page advertisement for the Advanced Breast Cancer Community.

Breast cancer has only hit close to home for me once. My best friend’s mother was diagnosed with it. Aside from that, most of my information about breast cancer comes from reading Pink Ribbon Review and reading up on the progress of famous names like Christina Applegate (and, of course, spotting celebrities like the casts of Army Wives and Grey’s Anatomy wearing Warriors in Pink apparel – which, actually, isn’t information at all…).

My point is, I don’t have a whole lot of firsthand experience with breast cancer, but I’m not ignorant, either.

However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that anyone diagnosed with breast cancer, including their families, friends, and loved ones, undoubtedly needs support. The Advanced Breast Cancer Community seems to offer just that.

The ad caught my attention, not because it was an entire page, but because it included a woman’s “breast cancer to do list.” The first two tasks? Get through surgery and radiation. The third? Get the kids to Hawaii.

Yes, I thought. This is important. This is important for any patient. Focus on getting better, but don’t lose sight of the good things in life. Don’t forget to spend time with loved ones. To make plans. To carry out plans. To have fun.

When you visit the ABCC website, you’ll find a community driven to provide information, resources, and support for people battling breast cancer. In addition to treatment information and news and safety updates, the ABCC provides an extensive list of support resources and communities, including its own. Plus, the ABCC has partnerships with 13 leading breast cancer patient advocacy organizations, so, this ain’t their first time around the block.

I love to read about successful online advocacy and support groups. While nothing compares to being face to face with a group of people who get what you’re going through and can offer help, or just a shoulder to cry on, good online groups are usually much more accessible and convenient. Plus, you generally don’t have to wait until a certain time on a certain day to gain that support; you can usually just log on the moment you need to ask a question, look up some information, or just vent to a friend.

If you or someone you know is fighting the breast cancer battle, go ahead and visit the ABCC. And, in the meantime, for more breast cancer-related posts here at Mental Health Notes, check out:

• Brain Break: Click To Donate Mammograms At The Breast Cancer Site
• Learn Tips To Manage Emotional Distress From Karen Lynch
• Nurture Mental Health During The Fight Against Cancer

Image: PicApp

Post from: Blisstree

Find Resources And Support At The Advanced Breast Cancer Community

With today’s Brain Break, you’re going to get to be a bit more productive than just finding pictures to laugh at and websites to facilitate procrastination.

This week, I want to tell you about an event going on at The Breast Cancer Site. (The Breast Cancer Site is part of a group of “virtual volunteer”/”click to donate” sites that I visit daily and have mentioned here at Mental Health Notes.)

Currently, The Breast Cancer Site is trying to get 10 million clicks by the end of September. If they do, bare necessities, one of their big sponsors, will fund an additional 100 mammograms for women in need.

At the time of this post, The Breast Cancer Site has collected 34% of their goal. Why not head on over and give them your click? While you’re there, you can also sign up to receive daily reminders.

And, for more information about breast cancer, don’t forget to visit Karen Lynch at Pink Ribbon Review.

Post from: Blisstree

Brain Break: Click To Donate Mammograms At The Breast Cancer Site