What to expect from palliative care for anxiety and low mood with cancer

A palliative care clinician may ask about sleep, fear, sadness, pain, breathlessness, appetite, medicines and the practical pressures of appointments. The team can help distinguish emotional distress linked with illness from effects of medicines or physical symptoms. Support may include counselling, coping strategies, medication review, referral to a mental health professional, and conversations about your goals. Palliative care can be provided alongside cancer treatment; accepting it does not mean that cancer treatment has stopped.

Before the visit, write down changes in mood, worries that keep returning, sleep problems and any thoughts of self-harm. Bring a medicine list and, if you wish, a trusted person who can help remember the plan. Tell the team which tasks feel hardest, such as work, childcare, transport or explaining your illness to relatives. Ask who to contact between visits and agree on a follow-up plan. Small goals, such as a regular meal, a short walk or a calming breathing exercise, can be chosen around your energy.

Contact your cancer team promptly if low mood is worsening, anxiety prevents medicines or appointments, or you cannot manage eating, drinking or basic daily activities. Seek emergency help now if you may harm yourself, feel unable to stay safe, become severely confused, or have sudden chest pain or serious breathing trouble. Do not wait for a routine palliative care appointment in these situations.

Which team member will support my mood and anxiety? Could any current medicine be affecting sleep or emotions? What should I do if distress becomes intense outside clinic hours? Can my family receive support too?