Stages for Patients Developing Breast Cancer

1-Denial
In this stage, the patient tries to maintain everything as the same by denying the disease. The patient visits other physicians with the hope to hear that the diagnosis is wrong and tries to conceal the event from her family. Denial is important and essential. It helps to conceal that the patients have recognized the reality that they are in an inevitable situation. As long as the patient does not reject the treatment, it is not unfavorable and trying to force the patient to acknowledge the realities about the disease should be avoided. It is very important to accompany the patient as much as possible and to comfort him/her emotionally and physically. It should be borne in mind that people may need to deny the events that they do not want to acknowledge.

2-Anger
The patient acknowledges with grief the reality of becoming ill while other people remain alive and healthy. The patient may think that she is a special target for God. It is important to understand that the anger felt by the patient is not directed toward the physicians or her family, but actually toward the disease itself.

3-Bargaining
The patient acknowledges the reality of being ill; but tries to be healthy for a longer time. The patient frequently bargains with God. For example: The patient promises to be a better person or to do anything if she recovers from her disease.

4-Depression
In the depression stage, the patient may manifest the symptoms such as emotional indifference, apathy, giving up social and familial responsibilities, increased physical complaints, passiveness, shyness, isolation from close relatives, crying alone, etc. When such symptoms are observed, it is extremely essential that the patient should see a psychiatrist to get help...

5-Acceptance

The patient recognizing that the troubles experienced by her are understood, allowed to grieve for her losses, not subjected to unnecessary treatment interventions and whose family knows and shares the situation switches to the acceptance stage. If a patient that has reached to the acceptance stage starts to manifest denial symptoms such as anger, depression, etc. again, it indicates that there may have been a mistake in the approach to that patient...