New research suggests that it is not uncommon for cancer caregivers to suffer emotional or psychological problems as a result of caring for a loved one battling cancer, and they often suffer in silence. According to study results, the anxiety and stress of caring for someone with cancer is comparable to caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. This news will come as little surprise to caregivers but it might be a blindspot of need traditionally overlooked by others in the community and medical fields. In USA Today Cancer hurts caregivers, several caregivers stories are featured highlighting the challenges faced as family members struggle to take care of a loved one in cancer treatment.

Aside from the emotional trauma of learning a loved one has been diagnosed with a disease that may cut life short and the psychological effects that can manifest in feelings of hopelessness and unrelenting fear, New York's Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center psychiatrist Jimmie Holland points out that hospitals are currently discharging cancer patients sicker and quicker when they are still in great pain before their wounds have healed. As a result, family members, who are not trained medical professionals, are left to provide the level of medical care of experienced nurses.

In reaching out to cancer caregivers, the answer might start with something as simple as providing a talk therapy environment where caregivers have a safe place to open up and share their thoughts and feelings. A resource of trained counselors and nurses who can offer reassurance and practical help in navigating the inner terror, and at times, the physical exhaustion of cancer care. For additional information and support resources for caregivers, visit the Cancer Caregivers category of this blog.

Nearly seven in ten marriages touched by breast cancer do not survive. Trauma of any kind can split a weak marriage and divorce rates are at an all time high with 6 out of 10 marriages ending. So how do you support your spouse, wife, or life partner when they are going through breast cancer so your relationship does not end?

We are all given trials and life threatening trauma has got to be one of the worst. It can tear you apart or it can build character. For a long period of time one partner may have to shoulder most of the responsibility while the other is sick, weak, and going through surgery and treatment. This can lead to stress and arguments between the two of you or worse it could cause you to harbor feelings inside and start looking for a way out.

Some of the simple things you can do as the supporting spouse is tell her you love her. Don't be silent in your thoughts and discuss your concerns, feelings, and needs. Seek the help of friends and family with every day chores to help with things in and around the home. Don't feel like you have to be super man or wonder woman. Let her know you love her and not her breasts and be sensitive to her feelings and emotions. Find time to do things together that you both enjoy. And one very important thing to remember is let her lead back into the sexual relationship between the two of you giving her time to feel desirable and wanted.