With new findings revealing that 84 per cent of women with breast cancer in England are not told about the possibility of developing long-term anxiety and depression by healthcare professionals, Breast Cancer Care and national Mind have partnered to make mental health after breast cancer a priority.

As we know, cancer, its treatments, and its aftercare can cause great emotional strain upon an individual, as well as their family and friends. It is thus unsurprising that many patients’ wellbeing is affected and they’re susceptible to developing anxiety and/or depression. Certain cancers (such as lung cancer) can carry a stigma which sometimes results in the patient feeling ashamed and so they can isolate themselves.

These, and other contributing factors can leave people feeling low and hopeless- even after treatment is over, it’s common for people to be anxious that the cancer could return, or just to lose all faith in the world.

However, there are ways to improve our mental health during, or post, cancer treatment. Many of us find it empowering to become more knowledgeable, by gathering information about the tools to cope with and manage our health-condition (watch the video below), or by getting involved in organised events for people in a similar situation to us.

For example, ‘Look Good, Feel Better’ is an international cancer charity which helps to “boost physical and mental wellbeing” for those undergoing cancer treatment. As well as being a bit of fun, ‘LGFB’ helps people to regain confidence in themselves by not letting cancer and its ‘appearance related side effects’ control their mood and their self-identity. Some of the services offered include pamper and make-up tutorials, and wig application tutorials for women, and skincare, shaving, grooming advice for men. All in all, the aim of this charity, and others like it, is to help people regain confidence and rediscover their self-identity.

We can feel totally powerless when faced with the effects of cancer. Whether we have been affected by cancer personally, or experienced it through the struggle of a loved one, a  way to stay positive and feel like we’re being helpful is to give back to the charities which provide support and research.

This can be done in many ways and can be very rewarding.  A charity fun run, a sponsored silence, or for those of us who love to bake, a coffee morning, can really help to raise funds AND help us to feel like we’re being proactive.

Be Cancer Safe was a social movement created to improve people's awareness of cancer and a series of activities and initiatives were undertaken to alert people to the signs and symptoms of cancer, to inform them what screening is available to them and ultimately increase the number of people diagnosed at an earlier stage.

In addition to the events, several informative flyers were created to provide essential info and answer FAQ's

Click on the images below for further info