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Depression is a life-threatening and disturbing mental state. It affects your mental peace, emotions, feeling, and behavior. When we talk about the post-surgery depressions, it usually happens because of an operation, and the changes occur in one’s life. Same is the case with ostomates. A new ostomate may face depression phase after the surgery. When a person has an ostomy, it is hard for him/her to take care of stoma, it is difficult to cope up with the sexual relationship, physical appearance, and travel. Therefore, a person may jump into the depression era for some time, until he/she cannot get used to the new lifestyle.

When a person is a new ostomate, he has sudden lifestyle changes. Adopting the new routine and style could be hard and disturb able. It can shake your mental peace. Aftermaths of surgery would lead your life towards some fears, insecurities, and dissatisfaction.

The Negative Impact on One’s Mind after an Ostomy

The most significant change in a person’s life is the excretion system. After the ostomy surgery, the natural process of pooping gets changed. Therefore, it is not easy to deal with it, especially in its initial days. Moreover, now you have stoma for poop and pee. You need to take care of your stoma well. You have to keep the stoma healthy, clean, and dry. For this, you need proper guidance; otherwise, you can face frustration, stress, disturbance, and emotional breakdown. When your body leaves any of the natural processes, you should take experts’ guide to deal with the psychological transition.

Stoma comes with several types of equipment, apart from the stoma, you have to manage your stoma bag, wafer, adhesive, and flanges. The biggest fear is leakage of the pouch. Especially when you are in a public place, mall, or at a friend’s house, such concerns bring sadness, helplessness, emotional breakdown, anger, and mental disturbance. A stoma patient can feel changes in his social circle, working life, leisure routine, and physical appearance. Until you do not get used to it, you feel sadness and emotional disturbance. When you have a fear of bag leakage, gas, and bad odor. It can cause stress for you. Therefore, you need guidance to tackle such situations.

Overcoming the Depression and your Fears

As a new ostomate, you should get professional mental health guidance. If you do not go for ostomy education, you might face difficulties in adopting physical and mental changes.

You will learn coping mechanism which includes adaptive, behavioral and cognitive methods. Through the mentioned technique, people change their way of thinking and behaving. In the therapy, new ostomates will learn how to manage the stoma kit. How to behave in public? Or, in the initial days, an ostomate should avoid public gatherings, movie plans, and shopping, because of the less public loos; however, as ostomate should not worry about the new life. After a few weeks or months, he will be able to cope up with stoma, bags, adhesive, leakage, pouch changing, gas, and flanges. After that, you can get back to your old lifestyle. You can go shopping, party, sports, gym and office.

Finding Guidance and Counseling as an Ostomate

Counselling and therapy are vital for ostomates. When you have proper guidance and emotional support, you can cope up with every stressful situation like a piece of cake. This will be helpful for you to face new lifestyle challenges and to manage your routine and social network. If a person does not seek professional help, in some extended depression cases, people might think of suicide. Therefore, a patient should not leave the hospital until his mental health can cope up with the new challenges and changes.