Mental Health & Brain Cancer

Brain cancer, or brain tumors that originate in the brain, are a rare type of cancer. However, the symptoms caused by brain tumors are severe. This includes a 66 percent mortality rate in the first five years after diagnosis. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, brain tumors can mimic the symptoms of other illnesses including mental health disorders. Mental health related symptoms can range from loss of memory to behavioral disorders, cognitive problems, and personality changes.

Brain Cancer Statistics

• According to the National Cancer Institute, every year around 19,000 people in the U.S. alone are diagnosed with primary malignant brain cancers. This only represents one to two percent of the total number of cancer cases diagnosed. The older you are the more chances you have of developing cancer. The rate of brain tumors in people under 65 is 4.5 out of every 100,000 in the U.S., while for people over 65 the rate is 17.8.

Brain Cancer and Children

• When people talk about brain cancer they generally refer to medulloblastoma, a type of cancer found mainly in children that originates on the lower section of the brain and spreads to other parts of the body. Medulloblastoma causes several symptoms that are related to symptoms of mental health disorders like personality changes, irritability, and impaired speech.

Brain Cancer and Mental and Personality Changes

• The American Brain Tumor Association reports that brain tumors can create mental disorders which range from the loss of short-term memory, speech and communication disorders, and difficulty concentrating to more serious intellectual limitations and confusion. Patients with brain tumors may also experience changes in behavior, temperament, and personality. The symptoms will depend on the part of the brain that is affected.

Treatment

• Brain tumors can have severe effects on the mind, emotions and personality of patients. The National Center on Caregiving explains that brain tumors can cause serious mental challenges and feelings of confusion. Neoropshychologists can treat patients with rehabilitation techniques. These include cognitive rehabilitation to treat the mental difficulties, occupational rehabilitation to retrain patients so they can continue working, and counseling to help with the emotional side of the illness. Other professional healthcare providers that can help people with brain tumors are neorologists, neurosurgeouns, physical therapist, speech language therapist, and social workers.

Neuroimaging, Brain Tumors, and Mental Illness

• According to the National Institute of Mental Health brain imaging scans (neuroimaging) are used to help diagnose many medical illnesses. Although brain scans alone cannot diagnose a mental disorder but they can help rule out other illnesses that cause similar symptoms to mental disorders, such as a tumor. Researchers are studying brain scans of patients with mental disorders to find a way of diagnosing mental illnesses early with neuroimaging.