PHILADELPHIA (Reuters Health) May 22 – When a physician asks a patient undergoing breast cancer treatment how she is doing, “just fine” is the answer that warrants further probing, according to Dr. Karen L. Weihs, speaking here Tuesday at the 155th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.
Suppression of negative emotions associated with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is associated with an increased risk of recurrence, study results reported by Dr. Weihs indicate. Conversely, subjects who expressed those emotions were less likely to have a recurrence.
“When a woman is in the middle of chemotherapy and wearing a wig because her hair has fallen out, the physician can be fairly certain that a close-lipped ‘I’m fine’ masks a good chunk of denial,” Dr. Weihs told Reuters Health. “Cancer treatment is emotionally taxing, and the answer is incongruous with reality.”
Dr. Weihs is an associate professor of psychiatry at George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she specializes in psychiatric treatment of cancer patients.
e-Med Tools
קצר קולע וממוקד
e-Med סמינרים
אי-מד תחקירים
Medscape Tools
Journal Club
מרכזי מידע ושירות
Facebook
מידע למפרסם
מאגר תרופות
מאגר אנשי המקצוע
אינדקס שימושי
חדשות משה"ב
eMed HealthClub
מחקרים קליניים
השאירו תגובה
רוצה להצטרף לדיון?תרגישו חופשי לתרום!