A solid support system that addresses the importance of the emotional side of mesothelioma is essential for people diagnosed with this rare, aggressive cancer. Patients, caregivers, family and friends often find comfort through participation in mesothelioma support groups, where they learn effective coping skills and meet others who understand what they are going through.
While many patients and caregivers find all of the emotional care they need from support groups, others find they need care beyond what a support group can offer. Those include individual therapy and medications for anxiety or depression. Doctors and mental health advocates provide that support. They help mesothelioma patients and loved ones recognize signs of distress and provide tools they need to care for them in ways that chemotherapy and radiation therapy don't touch.
Support groups are not group therapy. Members are not being treated for a psychological disease. Instead, members provide emotional comfort to one another. Medical attention is not given at a support group, but patients are free to share their experiences with treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy
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