Managing Distress in Malignant Brain Cancer
Abstract
Fighting brain cancer is hard for anyone, but may be particularly hard for Service members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries. When they find out they have brain cancer, they get stressed, may be afraid of dying, and can start getting down and negative about their future. These symptoms can quickly turn into depression or post-traumatic stress. Some may even start thinking about suicide. When people start feeling this way, they completely stop enjoying life. They may stop talking to family and friends, they may stop enjoying activities, and they may even give up on treatment that could help fight their brain cancer. Our goal is to develop a training program for Service members, Veterans, their beneficiaries, and the general public with brain cancer. It’s called “Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully” or “CALM” for short. CALM will give Service members, Veterans, their beneficiaries, and other individuals with brain cancer training on how to deal with their disease. CALM will help them manage their negative feelings and reduce their stress. It will help them decide what is most important to them and how to spend their time. It will also help them to talk to their friends and loved ones. CALM will be delivered via telehealth. That way, participants do not need to make extra trips to a hospital and possibly get sick from being around others at the hospital. There are no proven training programs to cope with getting brain cancer. Many studies on coping with cancer do not even include people with brain cancer. Some researchers believe people with brain cancer will not benefit from being in a coping study, because they may have trouble learning new skills. We believe Service members, Veterans, their beneficiaries and individuals with brain cancer deserve a chance to be in coping studies. And we believe they can learn skills that help them fight cancer and make them feel better. If CALM works, then we can make sure that health providers have a manual that shows them how to give CALM to their patients. “Managing Distress in Malignant Brain Cancer” focuses on the military health area called mission readiness and the health and well-being of military members, Veterans, their beneficiaries, and the general public. People who serve in the military have a higher risk of getting brain cancer. This may be due to being exposed to radiation or chemicals in combat. Currently, there is no cure for brain cancer. People who serve their country in the military tend to be hopeful and have a lot of courage. Fighting brain cancer may be the hardest mission they have ever faced. CALM aims to help them tap into their hope and courage. CALM will help them feel less stressed and depressed. It will help them prepare for and fight brain cancer. It will help them put together a plan that meets their needs and the needs of their families.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110702
Entities
People
- Ashlee R Loughan
Organizations
- United States Army
- Virginia Commonwealth University