Hand in Hand: Depression and Cancer

“One of his passions was to be by the ocean. He also loved being a police officer. He loved watching cop shows ever since he was a little kid. My dad was a 27-year veteran of the Elizabeth Police Department in New Jersey. He was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage four. “Throughout his journey with cancer treatment I did see things change in him: He stopped doing things that interested him, he stopped going to the beach, he stopped watching the movies he used to love. He started to just become more introverted and not wanting to get out of bed, not enjoying anything anymore. This is called Anhedonia, and this is a really strong predictor of depression in cancer patients. “Now I realize he was presenting with symptoms of depression. "