Mental Care of Cancer Patients(Symposium,Palliative Care,The 72nd General Meeting of the Society of Tokyo Women's Medical University)

It is possible to state adjustment disorder, depression and delirium as typical psychiatric disorder associated with cancer patients. Cancer patients show various psychological reactions resulting from the turning points in the course that the cancer takes, the numerous and severe stresses involved in examinations, diagnosis and disclosure, the various painful medical treatments, relapse and progression, and from the switching of treatment from remedial to palliative. As the distress, that is generally seen, resulting from disclosure and the treatment process is normal, it is easy to overlook the "adjustment disorder" and "depression" of a pathological level when the reaction goes outside the boundaries of a normal reaction. As it is possible to make a recovery through psychotherapy and medication combined with making appropriate adjustments to the environment, it is said that early diagnosis and intervention is imperative. Furthermore, in the course of cancer, some patients exhibit symptoms of "delirium", which is a reaction to physical factors, changes in the environment, and other various major factors such as drugs used for the ailment or for the purposes of treatment, resulting in the impairment of brain functions, and this is said to have an effect on not only the actual treatment of cancer but recuperation also. It is now a little over 1 year, since the Palliative Care Team started at our hospital. As well as psychological problems in Cancer patients which I showed in the beginning, the family and staff who provide care have also had the experience of confronting various problems. We the Department of Psychiatrics Liaison, as a member of the Palliative Care Team, have been providing mental care for these cases, however, I think there is a necessity for cases of where palliative care achieved better care for patients to be presented, and for the practice of "Consultation Liaison" to enable the activities of the team to permeate through the hospital