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Low Mood Depression

KEY FACTS

A survey of people with a brain

tumour found that:

28%hadsevereorextremely

severe levels of depression.

13%hadhighlevelsofboth

anxiety and depression

including feelings such as

panic and losing all hope.

Doyoufeelsad,tearful,cantseemtoenjoyyourself?

What is Depression?

Depressionisamoodstatelinkedto

changesinfeelingsandinapersons

body.Peoplehavestrongfeelingsofsadness, guilt or low sel-worth. They

can also lose interest or pleasure in

activitiesthattheyusuallyenjoy.Bodily

signs o depression include problems

with sleep or appetite, low energy,

poor concentration and sometimes

agitation or restlessness.

How do I know if my mood is low?

Experiencingalossofpleasureinthings

that you usually enjoy.

Feelingsad,emptyorhopeless.

Havingtroublegettingthrough

each day.

Feelingworthless,lackingself-esteem

and unable to see anything good

in yoursel.

Feelingsofguilt.

Sleeptoomuchornotbeingable

to sleep.

Eatordrinktoomuchornothaving

any appetite.

Notabletogetstartedornotbeingtofnish tasks once you start.

Feeltiredandfatigued.

Donotwanttoliveanymore.

Oftenthinkofdying.

Feellikebeinginabigblackhole.

Feelingirritableorshorttempered.

Notbeingabletofeelhappy

about anything.

Notabletoseeorplanafuture.

Havedifcultyconcentrating

or ocusing.

Ifsymptomspersistforlongerthantwoweeks, consult your health proessional

or a ormal assessment o mood.

Marys Story

Maryisa70-year-oldgrandmother

withaGlioblastoma(highgrade

tumour). She usually displays a bubbly

andpositivepersonality.Herfamilyhave

become increasingly worried about her

mental state since her recent diagnosis.

Maryisatinheremotionalreactions,

and is making negative comments to

familymemberssuchaswhatisthe

pointandjustleavemealoneto

die.Maryisphysicallywellenoughtocarry on her activities o daily living but

she reuses to get out o bed and get

dressed each day. She appears to have

given up.

Strategies

For the person with a brain

tumour

Distractionsuchaslisteningtomusicor

watching television.

Lightexercisesuchaswalking. Talkingtosomeone,seekoutpeer

support or join a group.

Doactivitiesthatyouenjoyorhelpyou

to stay positive.

Keepingbusysuchasworkingon

a project.

Keepintouchwithotherpeople.

Setshort-termplansandactonthem.

Learnpositiveself-talk.

Tryrelaxationormindfulnessexercises

(seeResourceSheet).

Speaktoacounsellor. Medicationmaybeanimportanthelpif

your mood does not seem to get better.

Strategies for the carer or family

member

Encourageanyformofphysicalactivity,

suchaslightexerciseorgoingforwalks.

Seekhelpfromadoctororpsychologist

i you eel they are not coping. Betheretogivethemsupportwhen

they need it .

Gettheminvolvedinactivitiesand

social events.

Listentothem,dontoffermeaningless

advice.

Realisethatnegativethinkingisa

symptom o depression and will go

away with treatment.

Providereassurance,trytostaypositive

butnotbeexcessivelyoptimistic.

Keepinmindthatcaregiversandfamilymembers can also become depressed.

Goseekhelpforyourselfifyouneedit.

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CancerInstituteNSWPOBox41,Alexandria,NSW1435T:+61283745600F:+61283745700W:www.cancerinstitute.org.au

CancerInstituteNSW2008.Thisworkiscopyright.Itmaybereproducedfreelyforpersonal,educationalorgovernmentpurposessubjecttotheinclusionofacknowledgementofthesource.

It may not be reproduced for commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those indicated above requires written permission from the Cancer Institute NSW.

SHPN:(CI)080215Cat.No:CF-2008-17

Question to ask your Health

Professional

Whatisthelikelycauseofthe

depression?

Isitrelatedtothetumouritself?

Isitrelatedtothetreatmentsgivenfor

the tumour or other medications?

Couldthedepressionbeanunrelated

medical condition and does this need

treatment in itsel ?

DoI/weexpectthedepressiontoget

better or worse over time?

Arethereanymedicationsthatcanhelp

the problem?

Canapsychologisthelptotreatthis

problem?

Arethereanydietorlifestylefactors

that can help with the depression?

WhoelsecouldI/wespeakwithto

assist with the depression?

LinkstootherInformation:

http: //braininjury.org.au/portal/factsheets/depressionincarersfactsheet429.html

http: //braininjury.org.au/portal/factsheets/depressionfactsheet431.html

http: //braininjury.org.au/portal/fact-sheets/depression-and-brain-injury---fact-sheet.html

ResourceSheetHowtoCopewithDepression

ResourceSheetActivityScheduling