Radiation therapy is an important and effective tool in cancer treatment, but it can take a burdensome toll on one’s mental health, with up to 50 per cent of patients having some form of psychiatric distress, according to psychiatrist Dr Geoffrey Walcott.
“When you look at anxiety disorders in the population that specifically goes to radiation therapy, you see figures almost double that of the general population, 22 to 30 per cent is what most studies will show and it goes up even higher given the extent of the illness, the type of diagnosis of cancer etc,” Dr Walcott said.
