Hello Ac0906 and a warm welcome to Cancer Chat, 

I am pleased to hear your dad has been doing so well. I hope that the pain is under control now as being in pain may have had an effect too on how he's been feeling. It is worth talking to his doctor if he is still in pain and seeing whether they could prescribe some more effective painkilling medication. Mood swings and depression are also listed among the known side effects of hormone therapy so it may also be linked to his treatment. Whatever the cause, it is important to get in touch with his GP or medical team and to address this with them. He may need expert help in order to be able to shake off this depression so it's definitely worth bringing this up. 

You mentioned your dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer six years ago and it may be that living with cancer for so long is taking its toll on his mental health but help is available and I hope that he will talk to someone soon about how he has been feeling. There is useful information on our website about depression and cancer which I hope you will find helpful and which will tell you more about the causes and symptoms of depression as well as resources available to help your dad cope with depression. 

If you'd like to talk about this to one of our cancer nurses, don't hesitate to give them a call on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

It sounds like your dad has excellent support around him with your mum being by his side and you showing him too how much he means to you all and I am sure that being surrounded by so much love will help him get through this bout of depression. Get him to see a GP or his medical team and to talk about this as he may just need a little bit of help to overcome it. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator