Can sever depression caused symtoms of cancer.
My husband has been sick for about 6 months. He lost his voice in december has lost 30 lbs., sleeps all the time, watches the same movie over & over again 24 hrs. a day. Has hardly any short term memory, asks me whats for dinner when we're eating dinner. Lack of appetite, seldom showers, no interests.
His doctor has taken some blood test looking for possible cancer and wants my husband to have a CT scan but he has refussed.
Recently he was given Lexapro for depression and his voice is coming back which shocks me.
Can a person suffer from (severe depression) and have cancer symtoms.
Hi Caregiver,
The best thing is for your husband to see the doctor to determine what, if anything, is wrong. It is possible that your husband is depressed as a result of thinking he has cancer. He might not. If the anti-depressant has brought back his voice, it could be that his symptoms are related to the depression.
There is also a study about people with post traumatic stress syndrome having a higher instance of cancer and other life threatening conditions. You can read the entire article here.
I hope you find something helpful here. Online sites are great for information to help you manage your care, but nothing takes the place of your doctor's solid medical advice.
Take care and stay in touch. Let us know how you and your husband are doing!
Vicki M
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Hi Caregiver:
I agree with Vicki; it is quite possible that there are other things going on. I would be interested in knowing a little more about your husband, but this is not the place for such details. But I could ask, how old is he, has he gone through some major life change that triggered the downward slide? The symptoms you are describing can easily describe clinical depression. One symptom is called anhedonia; or lack of pleasure. You may want to visit the My Depression Connection website to learn more about depression itself. The lack of appetite, sleeping, no interest in life are pretty classic signs of depression and it would make sense that an antidepressant would help him climb out of it. I don't know that you are describing exclusive symptoms of cancer (I am a cancer survivor) but something is clearly wrong. Please feel free to email me if you want to discuss this further.
Dr. Diana Walcutt
Dr. Walcutt is a Psychologist, not a Psychiatrist or a physician. Psychiatrists prescribe medications, Psychologists study them, but the majority of Psychologists are not authorized to prescribe meds. or give you specific advice about them. Dr. Walcutt's answers are not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or mental disorder. Any information given in a post about medication is for educational purposes only, and primarily to aid you in having an informed discussion with your own Psychiatrist/Physician.
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