Medical Oncologist
Emotional support
When to seek counselling
Earlier than most people do, and you do not need to be in crisis to ask. If the way you feel has lasted more than a couple of weeks, is stopping you sleeping or eating, or is making you consider stopping treatment, that is the point. Wanting somebody outside the family to talk to is reason enough on its own.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
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The short answer
When should you see a counsellor during cancer treatment?
Earlier than most people do, and you do not need to be in crisis to ask. The honest threshold is this: if the way you are feeling has lasted more than a couple of weeks, is stopping you sleeping, eating or functioning, or is making you consider stopping treatment, that is the point to ask. Wanting somebody outside the family to talk to is also reason enough on its own.
Psycho-oncology support exists at many centres here and is one of the most under-used services in cancer care. Patients assume it is for people who are breaking down, and by the time they ask they usually have far less left to work with.
Ask for it by name
Say "I would like to speak to a counsellor" or ask whether psycho-oncology support is available. A specific request is far more likely to produce a referral than saying you are finding things hard.
The attendant can ask too
The relative holding everything together is frequently in worse shape than the patient and has never been asked how they are. Support is available to them as well.
It is not a judgement on your character
Nobody is expected to get through months of this on willpower, and seeking support is not evidence that you are failing at being a patient.
If you have thoughts of harming yourself, tell somebody today rather than waiting for a referral.When to ask
Six situations where support is worth requesting
- Low mood that has not lifted for a couple of weeks
- Particularly where nothing gives you any pleasure at all, rather than difficult days that come and go with the cycle. Duration is the most useful thing to report.
- Anxiety that is stopping you sleeping or eating
- Including dread building before each cycle, sickness that starts before you reach the hospital, and panic around scans. All of these are recognised and specifically helpable.
- Thinking about stopping treatment
- Whether the reason is fear, exhaustion, money or feeling like a burden. Say it before you miss an appointment, because there is usually more that can be done than you expect.
- Distress about how you look or about intimacy
- Hair, weight, scars, a port, and the effect on a marriage. These are proper reasons for support rather than vanities, and they are among the least often raised.
- Family conflict, or nobody to talk to
- Where the household is arguing, where nobody can be told, or where the patient is protecting everybody else and has nowhere to put any of it. An outsider is the point here.
- Anything urgent
- Thoughts of harming yourself, feeling that there is no point continuing, or being unable to look after yourself. Tell somebody the same day rather than waiting for an appointment.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistPractical
How to get a referral
It is an ordinary request. Ask as you would for any other service.
Ask at your next appointment, specifically
"I would like to speak to a counsellor." If the answer is unclear, ask whether psycho-oncology support exists and who arranges it. The medical social worker will know if nobody else does.
Also ask
- Whether it is available at the hospital
- Whether there is any cost
Say how long and how much, not how you feel
"Three weeks, not sleeping, not eating properly, thinking of stopping." Concrete reporting gets a faster response than trying to describe the feeling itself.
Get the physical causes checked at the same time
Pain, sleep, nausea, a low haemoglobin, thyroid function and steroids all flatten the mood. Treating those sometimes does more than anything else, and they are commonly missed.
Ask about
- Whether your steroid timing affects your mood
- Whether anything physical is contributing
Ask about support for the family too
Attendants, spouses and children of patients are all seen by these services in many centres. One conversation can cover more than one person's needs.
Ask what is available if the hospital has nothing
The medical social worker will know about support groups, helplines and counsellors outside the hospital. Do not accept a no as the end of the conversation.
!
Do not wait for an appointment if any of these are true
You have thoughts of harming yourself, or of not wanting to be here · you feel the family would be better off without you · you have stopped eating or drinking · you have not slept for several nights · you have stopped taking your medicines · you feel hopeless most of the day, most days · you are hearing or believing things others do not · you cannot look after yourself. Ring your hospital number today, tell a relative so somebody else knows, or go to the nearest emergency department. This is urgent and there is help.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether what you are experiencing needs treatment in its own right or is an expected response to a very hard year. That distinction needs somebody who can talk to you properly, which is exactly what the referral is for.
It also cannot tell you what exists at your centre or what it costs. Availability differs considerably, and the medical social worker is the person who knows what is there and what alternatives exist if it is not.
Asking will not stop your treatment
This fear keeps many patients silent, and it is unfounded. Teams are far more likely to treat the cause, adjust supportive medicines or arrange support than to withdraw treatment because somebody said they were struggling.
Counselling is not the same as medication
Some patients need one, some the other, some both. Whether medicines would help is a decision for your doctors, who will also check what interacts with your chemotherapy. Never start anything, including herbal preparations, without telling them.
Be careful who you pay
Anybody promising to treat the cancer through the mind, charging heavily, or telling you to stop your treatment is not a counsellor. Ask the hospital rather than answering an advertisement.
What to do next
At your next contact, ask for a counsellor by name and say how long you have felt this way, how you are sleeping and whether you are eating. Ask for the physical causes to be checked at the same time. Ask the medical social worker what exists outside the hospital. And if anything in the box above is true, tell somebody today.
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Commonly believed
Four reasons patients never ask
"Counselling is for people who are mentally ill."
It is for people going through something extremely hard, which describes almost everybody on a course of chemotherapy. Wanting somebody outside the family to talk to is reason enough on its own.
"If I say I am struggling they might stop my treatment."
This fear keeps patients silent and it is unfounded. Teams are far more likely to treat the cause, adjust supportive medicines or arrange support than to withdraw treatment.
"I should be able to manage this myself."
Nobody is expected to get through months of treatment on willpower, and asking early is considerably easier than asking in crisis, when you have much less left to work with.
"There is nothing like that available here."
Many centres have psycho-oncology support and it is simply never offered. Ask by name, and ask the medical social worker about groups, helplines and counsellors outside the hospital if there is nothing inside it.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about counselling
When is the right time to ask?
When it has lasted more than a couple of weeks, is affecting your sleep, eating or ability to function, or is making you think of stopping treatment. Wanting somebody outside the family to talk to is also enough.
How do I ask for it?
Say "I would like to speak to a counsellor," or ask whether psycho-oncology support is available and who arranges it. A specific request works far better than saying you are finding things hard.
Is it available at the hospital?
At many centres, yes, and it is consistently under-used. If nobody knows, ask the medical social worker, who will also know about groups and counsellors outside the hospital.
Will it cost extra?
That differs by centre and by cover. Ask when you request the referral, and ask the medical social worker whether any scheme or hospital provision applies to you.
Can my husband or my son see somebody too?
In many centres yes. Attendants, spouses and children of patients are all seen by these services, and the person holding everything together is frequently in worse shape than the patient.
Do I have to tell my family I am going?
No. Many patients want somebody outside the household precisely because they are protecting everybody inside it. What is said there is between you and the counsellor.
Would medicines help instead?
Sometimes, and sometimes alongside. That is a decision for your doctors, who will check what interacts with your chemotherapy. Never start anything, including herbal preparations, without telling them.
What if I need help today?
Ring your hospital number, tell a relative so somebody else knows, or go to the nearest emergency department. Thoughts of harming yourself, or of not wanting to be here, are urgent and should not wait for a referral.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Patient stories
Hear it from people we have treated
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Sources
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Your feelings and cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Feelings and Cancer
- American Cancer Society — Emotional, Mental Health, and Mood Changes
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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