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Psycho-Oncological Interventions and Psychotherapy in the Oncology Setting

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Psycho-Oncology

Part of the book series: Recent Results in Cancer Research ((RECENTCANCER,volume 197))

Abstract

A person who faces the diagnosis of cancer is subjected to changes within his body, but also with regard to his view of himself and his social relationships. Cancer-related psychological distress occurs frequently and has been reported to have different prevalence according to cancer type and stage of disease. Psychological disorders are known to be underdiagnosed and thus undertreated in the oncology setting, since clinicians might miss the symptoms of psychological distress, misinterpret them, or lack the time and resources to respond adequately. The main psychiatric disturbances observed in patients with cancer are adjustment disorders and affective disorders (anxiety and depression), which in the majority of patients are due to stressors related to the disease and pre-existing psychological vulnerabilities; however, they might also be a direct consequence of biological causes either resulting from treatment side effects or from modifications induced by the cancer. This chapter aims to provide theoretical and practical information concerning psycho-oncological approaches, complemented by some reflexions on their clinical and scientific evidence, focussing essentially on verbal psychological interventions and especially on psychotherapy in patients with cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Universitaire de Psychothérapie, Département de Psychiatrie, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, Avenue de Morges 10, 1004, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Mirjam de Vries

  2. Service de Psychiatrie de Liaision, Département de Psychiatrie, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, Rue du Bugnon 21, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Friedrich Stiefel

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  1. Mirjam de Vries
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Correspondence to Friedrich Stiefel .

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  1. Department of Psychooncology, Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center, Berlin, Germany

    Ute Goerling

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de Vries, M., Stiefel, F. (2014). Psycho-Oncological Interventions and Psychotherapy in the Oncology Setting. In: Goerling, U. (eds) Psycho-Oncology. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol 197. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40187-9_9

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