However, little attention has been given to neuropsychological and cognitive problems. You also need to gauge how much chemotherapy may add to memory loss in relation to factors such as aging, depressiom, and menopause. As a result of this lack of understanding among physicians, many patients receive a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or stress and are treated with Paxil or similar medications. All this does is merely take away the anxiety associated with a patient's frustration without dealing with the problem. It is understandable that a physician would recognize their patients as depressed.
Depressed people have memory and cognitive problems as well.
Fatigue, another side effect of chemotherapy, can cause cognitive problems. Menopause is a known culprit as well. A Danish study conducted by van Dam, et al was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1998. The study involved one-point testing. They tested psychomotor function, memory, concentration, and language.