Cancer Patient Caregivers Are Being Forgotten in Suicide Risk

The diagnosis of cancer remains one of the most stressful experiences anyone can have, and despite research advancements in diagnosis, treatment, and potential vaccines against cancer, the trauma persists. In the scenario that is presented to most professionals, the emphasis is on the patient, their treatment, and their emotional needs. Still, in that equation, caregivers are not being paid sufficient attention. As a result, data is now indicating the serious implications of failing to attend to the psychological needs of caregivers.

The probability of suicide attempt and suicide death was 1.48 and 1.47 times higher, respectively, for wives of cancer patients compared to those whose spouses never had the disease, according to data from Denmark’s national patient databases.

Some variables affected the severity of that risk. Suicide attempts and fatalities among patients’ spouses were more common among those whose tumors were more aggressive, but this was not the case for cancers with better prognoses. This highlights the seriousness of the situation for cancer caretakers. Suicide attempts and fatalities were more common among people with a history of mental illness following a spouse’s cancer diagnosis. But we need to remember that not all individuals with mental illnesses seek treatment, so not all of them receive a diagnosis, and that means they get left out of the statistical calculations.

Caregiving for a loved one with cancer is fraught with difficulties on many fronts, including the physical, mental, and practical. Cancer treatments have a profound impact on patients, but they also place heavy financial and emotional strains on loved ones, who may already have quite a bit on their plates with which they must contend.

Witnessing a loved one’s suffering, on top of the challenging nature of caring, can induce severe psychological discomfort. Few studies have examined the rates of suicide, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm among cancer patients’ caregivers, even though depression is the leading cause of suicide.

Because of shorter hospital stays, more outpatient therapy, improved survival rates, and patients’ preferences for at-home care, the primary care environment for cancer patients has moved from hospitals to patients’ homes. Therefore, more people will need to pitch in to take care of cancer patients’ day-to-day needs, especially those who are close to the patients, such as friends and family. Caregivers play a crucial role in the treatment journey of cancer patients. Currently, there are an estimated six million of these caregivers worldwide.

Nearly 40.1% of men and 38.7% of women in the nation will develop cancer in their lives. Its effects on poor countries are equally significant and warrant investigation.

What About the Caregiver’s Quality of Life?

For cancer caregivers, the relationship between stress and well-being runs counter to what one would expect. Caring for someone reliant on you increases your chances of anxiety by 86% and sadness by 65%. The majority of unpaid caregivers are women (45–65 years old), who stay at home and are the patient’s daughter or husband, according to studies that have profiled this demographic. Among the 7663 caregivers who made up one overall sample, women made up 66.72%. The majority of research agrees that female caregivers outnumber male caregivers for cancer patients.

If women are the primary caregivers of cancer patients and provide assistance in the home, and research has not adequately assessed their quality of life, what can we learn from the current body of research?

Among all relatives, 11% felt a heavy burden as a caretaker, and the median number of hours spent caring for a loved one each week was 15. Family members who reported a low or medium caregiver load were more resilient and engaged in self-care more frequently than those who reported a high caregiver burden. Caregivers who reported carrying a heavy load were more likely to be younger, better educated, and less knowledgeable about the value of self-care. They also frequently reported acting as an informal caretaker for the patient.

Nearly half (43.5%) of caregivers said they had to deal with high financial costs, and almost a third (35.0%) said they experienced isolation or the loss of friends due to caring for someone else. Comparatively, 33% said they had unfavorable effects on their bodies. Starting at 13%, the percentage of people experiencing overwhelming or severe stress increased to 59.5% as the disease progressed, substantially quintupling from the baseline.

Relatives of people with advanced cancer may cope better with the caregiving load they face if they practice self-care and build resilience. However, little attention has been paid to these ideas. What is the motivation for caregivers of cancer patients?

In a survey asking about their primary drivers, 75% of people mentioned love as a driving element, while 50% cited a sense of duty. While 3.5 percent cited remorse as their driving force, 8% cited financial gain as their primary motivator. Tragic loss accounted for 30.5% of caregivers’ responsibilities, followed by mental health issues at 28.0%, and financial concerns at 15.5%.

Considering the research or lack thereof, caregivers for cancer patients who go through increasing stages of the disease must feel like they are trying to push the ocean back with a broom.

Their sentiments are understandable, but there is help available, and I am listing both groups and other available resources for these individuals. We cannot leave them feeling hopeless and helpless. We must employ all our abilities, too, in a larger sense, to support these individuals in their valiant efforts.

I understand the demands and the difficulties, the strain, and the stress of caring for someone with metastatic cancer that marches on to become ever more ravaging because my mother died of cancer. She was fortunate because she had four daughters, including a granddaughter who, in managerial fashion, set up a schedule for each person’s involvement.

We were all given a shift (day and night) and time for respite care and self-care so we would not burn out. It was a time of great stress, but we are all proud of our involvement. Fortunately, this was when hospice care was in its infancy in the US, but we could find a major hospital that had cobbled together a knowledgeable cancer hospice team. They provided both care and medication for us, and we are forever grateful to them and the wonderful oncologist who took care of my mother in the hospital.

Groups and Resources

The American Cancer Society: downloadable guide

National Coalition for Cancer Survivors

Cancer Care Resources

National Cancer Institute

Cancer Support Community (Gilda’s Club)

National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program

Cancer Hope Network

Ovar’s Coming Together (ovarian cancer)

Colon Cancer Foundation

Cancer care can be overwhelming for anyone, so don’t think you are in any way weak if you are feeling the task is grinding you down and you are having suicidal thoughts.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. For TTY users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.