Can Integrative Therapy Help Anxiety and Depression?
Health & Wellness
Written by Dana Nolan, MS, LMHC | Edited By Amy Edel
This is Part 1 of a series of blogs discussing new guidelines and the potential of integrative therapies to treat mesothelioma-related anxiety and depression. To read Part 2: Using Mindfulness for Mesothelioma-Related Anxiety or Depression
Many cancer patients, including those with mesothelioma, seek out complementary therapies to help manage physical symptoms and treatment side effects. Using these therapies in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments can improve their quality of life during and after treatment.
In addition to physical symptoms and side effects, cancer can affect mental health. Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health challenges people with mesothelioma and other malignant cancers experience both during and after treatment.
Psychotherapy and/or medication management is the standard of care for cancer patients with diagnoses of anxiety or depression. However, many patients are interested in complementary approaches to managing their mental health.
It can be challenging to know which integrative therapies are helpful rather than harmful in treating symptoms of anxiety or depression. In 2023, the Society of Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology published guidelines. The recommendations focus on the use of integrative therapies to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression in adult cancer patients.
This year, these new guidelines are helping shape approaches in multidisciplinary care, communication with patients and monitoring patient progress. ASCO and SIO separated their guidelines into those helpful for anxiety or depression and those to be used while in active cancer treatment and post treatment.
Which Integrative Therapies Did ASCO and SIO Review?
The ASCO and SIO recommendations don’t specify use with mesothelioma patients, but broadly speak to how well they work for cancer patients as a whole. While these recommendations are likely appropriate for mesothelioma patients, always check with your mesothelioma specialist to ensure a particular integrative therapy is safe for you.
These organizations’ panel provided guidelines to manage either depression or anxiety during or after cancer treatment. And they include discussions of a variety of integrative therapies.
- Acupuncture
- Aromatherapy
- Mindfulness-based interventions
- Music therapy
- Qi Gong
- Reflexology
- Relaxation
- Tai Chi
- Yoga
There is significant overlap between lists of integrative therapies to help alleviate physical and mental health symptoms and side effects. The published guidelines provide information about how helpful these integrative interventions were shown to be in research.
This blog is the first in our series on the different integrative therapies ASCO and SIO report are effective. We’ll individually address each type of integrative therapy covered in those guidelines. Our upcoming blogs will provide information on each modality and look at how it improves symptoms of anxiety or depression.
How Did SIO and ASCO Develop Their Guidelines?
To develop these guidelines, a multidisciplinary panel of oncologists, nurses, integrative therapy practitioners and patient advocates convened. They reviewed clinical studies published over the last 30+ years.
The multidisciplinary panel of oncology experts reviewed research from 1990-2023. They identified randomized controlled clinical studies and systematic reviews. They then selected 110 articles from this body of research to study more closely.
With their professional experiences, expertise and the wealth of research they reviewed, they determined which integrative therapies are safe and effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in cancer patients. They reviewed safety for use of integrative therapies both during and after treatment. Based on this work, the multidisciplinary panel developed their guidelines.
History of the Society of Integrative Oncology
The SIO was formed in the U.S. in 2003. Its goal was to promote collaboration and communication across traditional oncology healthcare practitioners and complementary practitioners.
Complementary practitioners can include experts in: Acupuncture, diet, energy therapies, exercise, mind body interventions, relaxation, spirituality and yoga. Therapy that combines complementary and traditional cancer treatment modalities (chemotherapy, radiation and surgery) is called integrative oncology.
An additional focus of the SIO is to advance evidence-based research on integrative therapies. The goal is to improve the quality of lives of cancer patients.
