:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/support-group-gathering-for-a-meeting-923258804-6c4655d179094aa8a96803d66e84c70e.jpg "Why Prostate Cancer Support Groups Help People")
Men with prostate cancer seldomly choose to join a support group despite the fact that they will benefit from attending them. One of the main reasons is that the majority of men learn early in life to hide emotional vulnerability and appear fragile or weak, especially in a public setting. Prostate cancer and treatment can cause men a great deal of shame and embarrassment due to the side effects of the treatment and the physical effects of cancer itself. All of these factors combined explain why a small number of men with prostate cancer choose not to reach out for help in a cancer support group community. However, what is needed most to help relieve the anxiety, stress, and feelings of sadness and depression is to receive support in a safe environment. In this article, you will learn about why prostate cancer support groups help those living with diagnosis and treatment and improve their quality of life.
Challenges of Living With Prostate Cancer
Being diagnosed with prostate cancer is not an easy road. Men newly diagnosed may experience a dramatic increase in psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety and depression. This is understable considering the impact on finances and daily living routines that treatment brings. The physical and psychological repercussions of treatment also can cause distress and lead to overwhelming feelings, including anxiety, depression, and fear of dying. Some men may develop post-traumatic stress disorder because of the trauma associated with diagnosis and treatment.
One of the most diffficult parts of treatment for prostate cancer is how the disease and treatment affect sexual function. Men with prostate cancer are faced with feelings of lack of manliness and anxiety associated with poor sexual performance which can lead to depression. To make matters worse, many men do not want to discuss their sexual functionality with others in a group setting even though opening up about these struggles will help reduce the burden of stress diagnosis and treatment causes. Hopefully, after reading why joining a prostate group is helpful, you will consider joining a support group to help you manage the difficult times during your cancer treatment.
Fear of Reaching Out
Traditionally, men learn patterns of behavior at a young age that define masculinity to be personal characteristics of control, strength, stamina, toughness, and power. In these cases, men are worried that in sharing their fears and concerns that they will seem weak, vulnerable, and out of control. Two of the major symptoms that decrease quality of life in men with prostate cancer are incontinence and loss of sexual function. While both can cause a great amount of distress, embarrassment and shame will keep a man from talking about the side effects and lead to anxiety and depression because it is too personal to discuss publicly, even if it is only in front of a group of men.
Men will often choose not to join a support group because they are afraid to reveal vulnerability in a public setting, especially with other men. Men who are dealing with a health crisis will often suppress emotions and choose not to reach out for support even if it is exactly what they need to feel better. Avoidance and non-disclosure are two common coping mechanisms shared by men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer which leave many men alone in their struggles. If you feel that you are dealing with cancer alone and are afraid to reach out, consider joining a support group. These groups offer you an opportunity to meet people living through a similar situation and they can help you cope with the challenges of treatment in a positive way.
Why Joining a Prostate Cancer Support Group Helps
If you find that you tend to suppress the intense emotions of living with cancer, consider joining a support group. Psychological distress increases when you are unable to express your worries. Simply telling someone in confidence about your diagnosis or struggles during treatment can relieve a substantial amount of stress. Also, support groups help to teach you alternative and healthy ways to cope with problems that arise during cancer treatment. Joining a cancer support group can help you in many ways, including:
- Offers a safe place to express repressed emotions in a safe environment
- Relieves distress, depression, anxiety, and/or fatigue
- Access to resources about prostate cancer treatment
- Helps empower your ability to cope with changes
- Connects you with peers who share a similar life experience
- Combats feelings of loneliness and isolation
A Safe Place to Express Emotions and Leave Isolation Behind
Cancer patients, including those with prostate cancer, often experience feelings of isolation and loneliness during the course of their disease treatment and recovery. Prostate cancer support groups encourage men to share their feelings and concerns and an atmosphere of camaraderie builds helping to reduce these feelings of isolation. Furthermore, support groups are an excellent place to help men manage the psychological burdens of living with prostate cancer. Cancer support group communities have been shown to help relieve depression and anxiety while improving the overall psychological wellbeing of group members.
Many men with prostate cancer feel isolated and seek current information about the disease that is affecting them and its treatment. The health benefits of participating in a support group are almost immediate, especially if the support group offers information about coping interventions during meetings. Learning relaxation exercises, problem-solving, and coping skills are all interventions that can improve your quality life during treatment. Men who participate in these support groups report lower levels of depression, fatigue, and anger after using these coping interventions in their daily lives.
Learn About Cancer and Build Camaraderie
Men with prostate cancer typically benefit from learning about their disease and will join a support group if it offers informational support. However, once they join the group, several men express how sharing their worries and emotional struggles with peers relieves psychological burdens. When you reach out for support, especially in an environment where a trained mediator and peers can relate with your life experience, you may find that you can reframe a negative outlook of life into something optimistic and even celebratory. Further, support groups help to improve communication with your family and friends, thus removing feelings of isolation.
Prostate cancer support communities are often made up of members who are at different points in their treatment, some may even be fully recovered. Despite being at different stages in treatment, group members share the need to to share their stories about living with cancer among peers who can relate with their experience in living with cancer. Men are able to help each other through supportive words and sharing advice.
Relieve Stress and Cope in a Positive Light
If you have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, you most likely are dealing with challenges on multiple fronts. If you are the type of man that refrains from expressing emotion and weakness, it may be difficult for you to open up to others in a support group. Remember that intense emotions and psychological distress are a major part of living with cancer and talking about these emotions will help you to relieve stress and let go of deeply buried burdens. You may find that attending meetings will change your perceptions about treatment and the quality of your life. Thus, decreasing your risk for depression and helping you feel supported during the trying times of your treatment.
Prostate cancer support groups are an ideal place for you to share what you are going through while receiving support in a safe environment. Many group meetings are focused on finding the humility and humor in dealing with a serious illness. Perhaps, you will find a moment to let go of the stress of living with cancer, and laugh at yourself or ever at other group members (in good humor, of course). Being a part of these groups can help improve your quality of life and assist you through your journey of treatment and recovery from prostate cancer. .
References
Manne, S. L. (2002, February). Prostate cancer support and advocacy groups: their role for patients and family members. Seminars in Urologic Oncology, 20(1):45-54. Retrieved from Europe PMC:
Santarelli, S., et al. (2021, September 23). Prostate cancer support groups: The unadvertised camaraderie. Cureus,13(9). Retrieved from Cureus:
Weber, B. A. (2000). Exploring the efficacy of support groups for men with prostate cancer. Geriatric Nursing, 21(5), 250-253. Retrieved from PMC:
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