Therapeutic treatment for breast cancer must go hand in hand with psychological support. No one doubts that the first female cancer offends women by attacking their physical femininity. This is because the temporary and other lasting repercussions of the treatment have a significant impact on morale. However, the latter constitutes the strong link in the fight.
Indeed, breast cancer does not only affect women. It also impacts the relationship of the couple, the psychology of the children and the woman’s entire social environment. For Mme Khouloud Zaïer, professor of psychology at the University of La Manouba, raising the question relating to the psychological state of women suffering from breast cancer is to destroy the barriers of social silence, and this, for two good reasons: Cancer is no longer synonymous with death. Certainly, but the woman’s body continues, in many communities, to be taboo. Hence the importance of advocacy.
Hit the bottom and come back up on the surface
Increasing awareness-raising actions about the disease aims, precisely, to break the chains of taboo and support women subject to many physical, psychological and relational changes. “It must be admitted that female cancer brings about significant changes in relationships, due to our variable acceptance of ourselves and others but also depending on the acceptance of others of the changes. We do not all have the same ways of dealing with psychological pressures. Learning how the disease affects you differs from one person to another regardless of behavioral and other emotional predispositions,” explains the specialist.
Nevertheless, the effect of the announcement is sure to resound in anticipating the image of the body which will be made ugly by the surgery and by the scar, the sexual problems, the anxiety which risks becoming pathological by dint of going in circles. in the circle of life and death, depression and fear. “Learning the news generally begins with denial, then anger which will eventually give rise to sadness. Unlike anger, sadness opens the way to reflection, pros and cons, positive and negative. Then, continues the psychologist, there comes the acceptance of the illness and the social integration of a new body.
Social support is fundamental
This existential process, placed under the sign of pressure, depends not only on the woman’s morale, but also on the psychological support of those around her. The role of the spouse can have a determining impact. If some neglect their wives, others are convinced of the need to fight the disease together. “The spouse and entourage of the woman with breast cancer must remind her of her merit, sparing no effort to prove their unconditional love to her. Bring her out of isolation, encourage her, support her and accompany her especially during difficult phases due to the side effects of treatments, ensure her healthy lifestyle and motivate her tirelessly; this is what a woman with breast cancer would need,” emphasizes M.me Zaïer.
