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Cancer and Severe Mental Illness (SMI)

Checked: 14-10-2024 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 13-10-2026

Overview

Cancer is a worrying topic for anyone. If you’ve got a serious mental illness, cancer might seem particularly scary, isolating or overwhelming.

People with serious mental illness often find it more difficult to get the support they need when it comes to cancer. This can mean their cancers are less likely to be spotted at an earlier and more treatable stage, or that their treatment (if they are diagnosed with cancer) is less successful.

South East London Cancer Alliance and the Health Innovation Network South London, have developed new online resources to help people with serious mental illness feel more confident and in control when it comes to cancer.

Resources

The following Resources are all available on the South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA) website:

Cancer and You, including understanding the relationship between cancer and SMI and reducing personal risks
Cancer Screening, including how to access support during the cancer screening process
The Diagnosis Process, including information about how the diagnosis process takes place and support during stressful periods
Wellbeing and Cancer, including advice on maintaining overall health and wellbeing and help with managing financial pressures and other practical issues during cancer treatment
Psychological Support During And After Cancer Treatment, including information to help make sure that cancer and mental health teams are working together effectively to provide the best care possible
Talking About Your Mental Health Condition, a guide to preparing for appointments and staying in control of treatment preferences

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.