Psychological Distress During Cancer Survivorship Essay

Breast cancer is no longer a menace as it was years back; however, little is known on what the patients experience after treatment. Pauwels, Charlier, Lechner & Van Hoof (2013) state that the period of transition to survivorship is filled with emotional distress and a low quality of life. It is evident that the survivors have to go through many struggles and in the recent past, there have been interventions that are meant to improve on their well being. No clear guidelines exist on how the psychological interventions that should be applied to assist breast cancer patients to make a quick

Cancer has one of the biggest effects on the patients mental health but also the patients loved ones and friends. It is one of the hardest things to get a grip on when the doctor tells someone that they have cancer and a fifty-fifty chance of making it. "The disease can bring many changes-in what people do and how they look, in how they feel and what they value" (Dakota 4). It makes people look at the world and their lives in a different way, valuing now what they took for granted and seeing the bigger picture in every scenario. It is something that no one can actually brace, even after the doctor tells them. Through it all though, the person must remain strong and optimistic because the cancer can affect the person's moods and in return affect the outcome of the person and the chances of their making it

Radl, Donna M. (2015) conducted the literature research that up to 43% of cancer patients were appearing emotional problems after the cancer diagnoses and treatments.

This resource will address the personal adjustments to routines, habits and knowledge the individual will need to consider through their transition from undergoing regular cancer treatment to commencing life outside of medical intervention (Kralik, Visentin & van Loon, 2006). Kralick et al. (2006) recognize transition as a process that an individual must experience within themselves in order to reach acceptance. The

“Cancer does not discriminate against race, sex or age; there are many types of cancer and there are not always available treatments.”

This chapter written by Rose and Daste provide mental health professionals with information and recommendations to establish sensitivity within the make-up of the groups supporting those with cancer (Grief & Ephros, 2010). The authors also provide insight on the complexities and differences among a group of people that have a generally similar medical diagnosis, such as cancer, but a myriad of uniqueness (Grief & Ephros, 2010).

This study was reviewed, and approved by the institutional review board. This used a functional assessment of the chronic illness therapy, which was abbreviated as, (FACIT). This is a measurement system, which consists of a collection of quality of life questions, concentrated in the management of different chronic illnesses. Patients registered, read, and agreed to the study, and grant permission to participate in the study on the website, www.facit.org. After participants met the criteria for the study, those completed a self-report of questions which had evaluated the fatigue and spiritual well-being of the patient. Within this prospective study, the patients were at one point screened during the time of the cancer being active treatment. (1.

An article for “Coping (with Cancer) Magazine” and, any former science teachers are raising their eyebrows in disbelief, but articles for Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy and Go Nuclear, Inc. I’m also working on another children’s book. The little girl I titled Tickles Tabitha after is all grown up and a talented artist. I’d like her to do the illustrations. Unfortunately, this may take a while as she received a fellowship to UNC, and has way too many internships and school related professional grad school functions to work for free for her mother.

“We can’t go out tonight. I already told you that.” Cali told her best friend Caleb now very annoyed.

Multiple epidemiological and psychological studies have investigated the relationship between psychological factors and the progression of cancer. Lack of social support, trauma history, depression, and distress and the most commonly cited psychological processes when looking at cancer outcomes. A meta-analysis conducted by Pinquart and Duberstein (2010) examined the association between social support and cancer progression and found that higher levels of perceived social support, having a larger social network, and being married decreased the mortality rate by 25%, 20% and 12% respectively. In contrast studies done on depression, stress, and trauma have consistently found them to

This project seeks to improve DT instrument screening of cancer survivors and their family unit returning to primary care. All cancer patients and their family units could be eligible to participate, however the Breast Clinic (and now the Prostate Clinic) is a pilot clinic location with current development of support groups for spouses, family, and children of cancer patients; this is a quality improvement project to improve patient and family satisfaction with transition from cancer survivorship to “new normal”. The DT instrument will be tested in the Primary Provider Clinic of the rural Minnesota health care facility and the adjoining hospital on the Family Care Unit or Emergency Room, most often admitting cancer patients (see Appendix E). The intervention includes three components: Component 1) education of the primary care providers (nurses, social worker, and physicians) on the DT instrument utilizing a post- test to capture main topics of implementation, Component 2) integration of the DT instrument into the EHR, with granting permission from the NCCN (see Appendix D), and 3) data analysis of patient and their families psychological distress levels against proven psychometric parameters that may lead to further provider interaction and referral to mental health providers.

Receiving a potentially life-threatening diagnosis, such as cancer, has the potential to be an extremely stressful event and may have long-term effects. Depending on the diagnosis, many cancer patients may experience long-lasting, or chronic stress due to a variety of factors including receiving treatment, experiencing symptoms and side effects of treatment, waiting for test results, and learning that the cancer has recurred. Patients with cancer often report cancer-related posttraumatic stress (National Cancer Institute, 2012). According to the National Cancer Institute, patients who report cancer-related posttraumatic stress often experience repeated frightening thoughts, trouble sleeping, feeling detached from reality, fear, and helplessness (2012). Unfortunately, this stress negatively impacts immune functioning and can lead to tumor progression and metastasis (Hassan et al., 2013). If a cancer diagnosis is stressful, and evidence supports a negative impact of stress on cancer prognosis and recovery, then reducing the stress experienced by cancer patients will lead to better outcomes. Previous research identified social support as a major predictor of reduced stress levels in individuals with cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2012). Social support promotes psychological well-being and posttraumatic growth, a sharp contrast to posttraumatic stress. Posttraumatic growth is defined as the positive psychological change experienced after a highly challenging

Depression and Cancer may seem bad at first but that’s not true. They can control you life if you let them. They can destroy your chances at doing what you want to do, if you let them. If you take control before they do, then there is nothing to worry about. But if you let them control you, then you aren’t trying hard enough, and they don’t care about the consequences of their actions.

While the completion of treatment is excitedly anticipated, many cancer survivors would still be disturbed by the emotional and physical tribulation of their breast cancer trajectory (Surbone & Peccatori, 2006). This is because, the impact of cancer remains long even after treatment ended. Besides the common issues that accompany any cancer diagnosis, breast cancer survivors also have to deal with exclusive concerns such as decreased sexual function, relationship issues, fears about genetic inheritability of cancer and complications from this disease such as lymphedema (Hodgkinson, Butow, Fuchs, et al., 2007). Therefore, the completion of treatment does not equate to lesser need for health care. Long term health issues related to breast cancer survivors have thus emerged as a public health concern.

Literature Search Paper Research allows an individual to investigate a subject in order to discover facts and theories. The facts learned from the research are applied to his or her everyday use. There are various databases found that assists with research, however not all provide researched and scientific data. As a baccalaureateprepared nurse, it is critical to use a database that provides scientific data in means of articles and journals. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Applied Health (CINAHL) is a comprehensive database search