Read sources
Annotated sources
Works Cited
Akechi, Tatsuo. "Suicidal thoughts in cancer patients: Clinical experience in
psycho-oncology." Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 53 (2002): 569-73.
This source will help explain the thought process in a cancer patients head. Discovering what
people think while they have cancer will help oncologists and psychiatrists better understand how
to help them. Hopefully, this source will help prove the need for the mental health profession to
work more closely with oncologists.
Alexander, John, Narayanakurup Dinesh, and M. S. Vidyasagar. "Psychiatric Morbidity
Among Cancer Patirents and its Relationship with Awarentess of Illness and
Expectations About Treatment Outcme." Acta Oncologica 32 (1993): 623-26.
The experiment discovered that psychiatric morbidity was less in patients that didn’t know they
had cancer, or thought that their cancer was curable. People had greater psychiatric illness
when they knew that they had cancer or if they thought their cancer outcome was going to
be bad. This again proves that the psychology field should be combined with the oncology
field.
Altman, Lawerence K. "At the Helm: Oncologists with Cancer." 24 May 2005.New York
Times.15 Sept. 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com>.
This article demonstrates that oncologists do not truly know what the cancer patient is going
through until they go through it themselves. It should remind oncologists that they need to
keep an open mind about treatment options and truly listen to their patients.
Andersen, B.L., Farrar, W.B., Emery, C.F., Carson III, W.E., et al. (2007). Distress
reduction from a psychological intervention contributes to improved health for
cancer patients. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. In press.
How can psychological intervention contribute to improved health for cancer patients? This article
will again prove a need for psychological intervention in cancer patients.
Andersen, B.L., (2002). Biobehavioral outcomes following psychological interventions for
cancer patients. Journal of Counsulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 590-610
This article will answer the question what happens to patients after they have undergone a
psychological intervention.
Barry, Patricia D. Psychosocial Nursing : Care of Physically Ill Patients and Their Families.
3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
This book discusses how to care for psychically ill patients and their families. It will be useful in
discussing techniques that can be used to treat deeper then physical illness.
Bloch, Sidney and David Kissane. "Psychotherapies in psycho-oncology." The British
Journal of Psychiatry 177 (2000): 112-16.
This article will answer what some of the psychotherapies are in psycho-oncology. How can these
be incorporated into a traditional oncology clinic?
The article summarizes research done that focused on and approach for families at risk of
maladaptive bereavement and a group program for women with newly diagnosed
early-stage breast cancer. Family grief therapy was done on a model based on five different
types of families. The goals were to promote the sharing of grief and the family and the
family’s ability to grapple with concerns and problems. Family functioning was focused on
three fields: promoting cohesiveness, expression of thoughts and feelings, and effective
conflict management. The overall results of family grief therapy was that it was helpful,
but more research and a definitive trial are needed. Cognitive group therapy is important
because “it has been shown that social isolation is as powerful as smoking and high
cholesterol in elevating mortality rates. Groups of six to eight patients were led by two
co-therapists, at least one of them was a women, and were held from 90 minutes for an
average of 20 sessions. In order to minimize dropout each prospective member met
individually with one of the co-therapists in order to get oriented to the group. The result of
the model is that group therapy may serve patients well with early stages of cancer. A
different model is needed for women with metastatic breast cancer, as their concerns and
challenges are different.
This article was written to educate the medical community on different models that are in the
works for the emerging field of psycho-oncology. Although the research done was helpful
in understanding a need for some sort of intervention to be done, no definitive results came
of the research. It was also noted that group therapy and family counseling does not work
for every cancer patient. It is important to recognize the individual needs of patients. For
the most part I did not find the research to be too informative to how their model’s could be
integrated into an oncology setting. There was no mention of the dialogue between the
therapists and oncologists.
Block, Susan, and Michael Miovic. "Psychiatric Disorders in Advanced Cancer." Cancer
110 (2007): 1665-676.
In order to treat people with a psychiatric illness you need to know what that psychiatric illness is.
What kinds of issues are people with cancer facing?
“Not surprisingly, data shows that emotional distress and psychiatric disorders are common among
patients with advanced cancer and adversely affect quality of life”. This article explains how
oncologists can recognize emotional distress and depression in patients and different treatment
options for distress. For instance, one of the treatment options for Adjustment disorders is good
collaboration and communication with mental health providers about medical issues, prognosis
and patient concerns. The article goes on to say, “If in doubt, treat”. There is no harm or negative
effects of treating for emotional distress. One way to help with recognize distress in cancer patients
is to train oncology nurses to recognize and treat depression. In general, oncologists need to be
upfront and clear with patients when discussing treatment. “98 percent of patients with advanced
disease want their physicians to be realistic, to proved and opportunity to ask questions, and to
acknowledge them as individuals when discussing prognosis.”
This article, written in the journal Cancer, is geared toward oncologists. It is meant to
inform oncologists of the basic psychological disorders that patients must face. Even though this
article was written in a science journal it was easy to read and understand. Because it was written
for oncologists, I found this article to be too general. It gave a great overview of how to start
realizing the different types of mental distress in patients, but it did not go into details or offer a
plan of how to implement these findings into an oncology office or practice. The overall purpose
of the article, “oncologists play a key role in screening for psychiatric disorders”, is an important
message that will be carried out through the rest of my research.
Bransford, C., and T. Bakken. "The Evolution of Mental Health Care policy and the
implications for social work." Social Work in Mental Health 1 (2002): 3-26.
Again, you can not know where you are going with a treatment until you know the history of it.
Has the history of mental health care policy prevented it from being the most effective it
can be today?
Corrigan, PW, and Alain Wassel. "Understanding and influencing the stigma of mental
illness." Journal of Pyschosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services 46 (2008):
42-48.
By having a better understanding of what the mental health stigma’s are one can better understand
how to prevent them. Challenging mental illness stigma is essential to helping people
recover.
Farber, John M., Brian H. Weinerman, and Joseph A. Kuypers. "Psychosocial Distress in
Oncology Outpatients." Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 2 (1985): 109-18.
This article identifies the need for better methods of identifying patients in distress. This article
suggests that about 1/3 of oncology outpatients can be expected to experience a high and
clinically significant level of psychological distress. By using the data from this article, I
can better prove the need for mental health and oncology to work together.
Fincannon, JL. "Analysis of pyschiatric referrals and interventions in an oncology
population." PubMed 22 (1995): 87-92.
The purpose of this article is to review nurse generated psychiatric referrals. The results show that
oncology nurses are the most consistent observers of patients’ emotional responses. How
can oncology nurses better work with mental health professionals and oncologists to create
a more well rounded treatment option?
Frank, Richard G., Sherry A. Glied, and Rosalynn Carter. Better but Not Well : Mental
Health Policy in the United States Since 1950. New York: Johns Hopkins UP, 2006.
This source will be useful to find out if the idea of joint oncology-mental health care fits into the
current mental health care policy implemented in the United States.
The book better but not well discusses the history of the mental health policy in the United States
and its advances. Although there have been great advances in the U.S. mental health
policy, in 2003 president Bush stated in his New Freedom Commission report that the
mental health care system in America is “a system that had fallen into a state of disarray”.
This may because of the stigma that was once associated with it. In 1948 Albert Deutsch
indicated mental health as being, ineffective, and painful treatment. Only the rich and
prosperous patients received human caring treatment, that also wasn’t that effective. Today
there are more civil liberties for people that suffer from mental illness, but more people are
reliant on social programs. For instance, health insurance imposes special limits on
coverage for mental illness. Social programs can limit the amount and type of treatment a
person is getting. 40 percent of people with private insurance receive treatments for major
depression that are completely ineffective. Although mental health is a more mainstream
topic, as it is being reported about in newspapers as much as cancer, there is still stigma
associated with it.
This book was written to inform the general public on the implications that the history of mental
health has had on present day stigma’s and social programs. Social programs limit the
amount and kind of treatment people get. This book is good at explaining the social,
medical, and economic sides of mental health throughout history. It is important to know
the history of mental health in order to figure out what the next step is in the treatment
process for patients with cancer. If patients with cancer who have a mental disorder are also
facing the stigma and the prejudices of the mental health system, it might hinder treatment.
It is important to break down stigmas and find a way to work with social systems when
coming up with a plan for oncologists to work with psychologists and social workers.
Gallagher, Jill, Michael Parle, and David Cairns. "Appraisal and pyschological distress six
months after diagnosis of breast cancer." British Journal of Health pyschology 7
(2002): 365-76.
This article stresses the need for psychological intervention with cancer patients as 43 percent of
the women had a likely affective disorder at either 2 or 6 months after diagnosis.
Geffen, Jeremy. The Journey Through Cancer : An Oncologist's Seven-Level Program for
Healing and Transforming the Whole Person. New York: Crown, 2000.
The Book, Journey Through Cancer: An Oncologist’s Seven-Level Program for Healing and
Transforming the Whole Person, gives a different perspective on how to incorporate mind
and body into traditional treatment options.
Helgeson, V.S., Cohen, S., Schulz, R. & Yasko, J. (2001). Group support interventions for
people with cancer: Benefits and hazards. In A. Baum & B. Andersen (Eds.), Psychological
interventions and cancer (pp.269-286). Washington, D.C.. American Psychological
Association.
A study was conducted to see test how effective group support interventions for people with cancer
are. The results of the study remind us that there needs to be more of a focus on other mental health
treatment options.
Holland, Jimmie C. "History of Psycho-Oncology: Overcoming Attitudinal and Conceptual
Barriers." Psychosomatic Medicine 64 (2001): 206-21.
Understanding the history of Pyscho-Oncology will help understand its implications today. Have
the stigma’s associated with mental health prevented appropriate treatment to be given?
How can we move forward after understanding the history and stigmas associated with
such a practice?
This article focus on the area of Psycho-Oncology and the conceptual barriers associated with it. In
order to understand the current field of Psycho-Oncology it is important to understand
where the area of study got its beginnings from. Psycho-Oncology became a necessary
practice because of the stigma associated with mental health, even if it occurred due to a
medical illness. The stigma associated with mental health associated with illness first came
from the illness itself. Having a cancer diagnosis in the 1800s was a death sentence.
Doctors rarely told the patients what their diagnosis was because it was considered cruel
and inhumane. Even if the family knew the diagnosis, it was kept private because of the
shame and guilt associated with having cancer. Many people even thought cancer was
contagious. To start educating the public, the American Cancer Society was formed in the
year 1913. Having a mental illness was also heavily stigmatized. “Mental illness, like
cancer, had no known cause or cure”. Many times the person was blamed and ostracized. In
1902, the first psychiatric ward was opened in a general hospital in Albany, NY.
Once people started getting over the stigma of having cancer and of being mentally ill, the two
practices of oncology and mental health were able to merge. Eventually the practices of
psychoneuroimmunology and consultation-liaison psychiatry were formed.
Psychoneuroimmunolgy focuses on information from genetics, physiological,
psychological, and social domains, while consultation-liaison focused on understanding
the psychological burden of patients with cancer. Eventually these two areas of research
merged into the formality of the field psycho-oncology. Psycho-Oncology address the
“suffering of the mind” that occurs with cancer. “It incorporates the psychological, social,
spiritual, and existential dimensions” to help cancer patients cope with and get through
having cancer.
This article was very clear and easy to read. The history of the Psycho-Oncology is written from
the perspective of a doctor. Dr. Holland is using the history of Psycho-Oncology to show
where we should go in the future, and how the past has limited the present. The
implications of this article fit well into my thesis topic which is also about where the area of
Psycho-Oncology should head toward in the future. One quote that sums up this article,
and that has relevance for my this topic is, “However , the attitudinal barrier against “all
things mental, “even among medically ill patients, has not disappeared, and it must be
recognized as a factor in the slow development and use of psychological and psychiatric
services…To overcome this barrier, psychosocial services developed today must be
seamlessly and fully integrated into the oncology services. The mental health professional
must be seen as a member of the medical team, with evaluations and clinical services given
at the same geographical location to reduce the barrier that comes from experiencing
supportive services as separate, distanced, and hence, subject to the stigma that remains to
using our services.”
Kemp, Donna R. Mental Health in America : A Reference Handbook. Ed. Mildred Vasan.
Danbury: ABC-CLIO, Incorporated, 2007.
This book gives an overview of mental health in America from Background and History to court
cases concerning the mentally ill. This source will help give my paper a backbone solid
ground and research to base my ideas around.
Marcus, Alan I., and Hamilton Cravens, eds. Health Care Policy in Contemporary America.
New York: Pennsylvania State UP, 1997.
The compilation gives different people’s view points on health care in America. The section most
helpful in this book will be the one titled “Disease chasing Money and Power: Breast
Cancer and Aids Activism Challenging Authority”.
Mattews, and Simonton. "Cancer and Stress: Counselling the cancer Patient." The
MedicaLJournal of Austrailia 1 (1981): 679+.
The article reviews the need to give counseling to a patient with cancer. How can the results from
this study be incorporated into and oncology clinic?
Rawl, Susan M., Barbara A. Given, Charles W. Given, Victoria L. Champion, Sharon L.
Kozachik, Debra Barton, Christine L. Emsley, and Stephen D. Williams.
"Intervention to Improve Psychological Functioning for Newly Diagnosed Patients
with Cancer." Oncology Nursing Forum 29 (2002): 967-75.
The results of the study reflect the important need for nurses in addressing mental health issues in
patients and families experiencing cancer. How can the nurse become a bigger part of the
equation when dealing with cancer treatments?
Ronson, Alain. "Psychiatric disorders in oncology: recent therapeutic advances and new
conceptual frameworks." Current Opinion in Oncology 16 (2004): 318-23.
This study has found a need for a new conceptual framework in improving doctor-patient
communication. The study will help answer the question of if it is or is not feasible for
oncologists to work closely together with mental health professionals.
Spiegel, David, and Catherine Classen. Group Therapy for Cancer Patients Vol. 1 : A
Research-Based Handbook of Psychosocial Care. New York: Basic Books, 1999.
The research done will help give methods for giving psychosocial care to cancer patients. Maybe
group therapy isn’t enough.
Begneuad, Becca. "Mental Illness can Affect Cancer Patients, Survivors." Mental Hope
News 26 Sept. 2007.
The article gives a less scientific way of looking at how mental illness can affect cancer patients. It
is good to include outside opinions and thought into my research.
Beuth, J., Ralph W. Moss, and Ulrich Abel. Complementary Oncology : Adjunctive
Methods in the Treatment of Cancer. New York: George Thieme Verlag, 2005.
The book talks about treatment options that aren’t also the norm when treating cancer. It will be
good to research all of the options out there.
"Breast Cancer Survivors Have High Quality of Life Up to 15 Years After Lumpectomy/
Radiation." Science Daily. 21 Sept. 2008.<http://www.sciencedaily.com>.
This article contradicts my thesis, saying that cancer patients have a high quality of life after
cancer. It will be good to include different view points in my research paper.
Carroll-Johnson, Rose M., Linda M. Gorman, and Nancy J. Bush, eds. Psychosocial Nursing
Care along the Cancer Continuum. Washington D.C.: Oncology Nursing Society,
2006.
As part of my research I would like to learn about the care that nurses give to their patients. I feel
that nurses are more aware of the stress and angst that patients go through than the doctors.
Chernecky, Cynthia C., and Barbara J. Berger. Advanced and Critical Care Oncology
Nursing : Managing Primary Complications. Ed. Barbara N. Cullen. Boston: W. B.
Saunders Company, 1997.
Again, I would like to understand the actions and duties of an oncology nurse to better come up
with a treatment plan for cancer patients.
"Doctors Rarely Respond with Empathy, Cancer Study Shows." CBC. 22 Sept.
2008.<http://www.cbc.ca/health>.
This article, again less scientific because it is in a newspaper, is good because it gives a more
public opinion of how people feel about their doctors. I would like to take the information
given in the article and find a way to correct the problem of un sympathetic doctors.
Frank-Stromborg, Marilyn, and Judi Johnson. Oncology, an Issue of Nursing Clinics.
Philadelphia: Saunders, 2008.
This book will give me further insight into the life of oncology nurses.
Rosetta, Lisa. "'Cancer' is lost in translation." The Salt Lake Tribune. 22 Sept.
2008.<http://www.sltrib.com>.
I thought that this article was interesting because it discusses how American culture treats cancer
differently from the Navajo. The translation of the word “cancer” does not match up with
their word for cancer and has contributed to problems to Navajo facing the disease.
Yarbro, Connie H., Margaret H. Frogge, and Michelle Goodman. Cancer Nursing :
Principles and Practice. New York: Jones & Bartlett, Incorporated, 2000.
Again, this book will help me understand the life of an oncology nurse.
Interviews:
Barrie R. Cassileth
Chief, Integrative Medicine
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
212-639-8629
Barrie can help me learn what integrative medicine is. How does integrative medicine help patients
with cancer? Does Barrie work closely with oncologists to come up with integrative
treatment plans for cancer patients?
Barbara L. Andersen
Professor
The Ohio State University
(614) 292-4236
andersen.1@osu.edu
Dr. Andersen’s primary research area examines biobehavioral aspects of cancer. I would like to
ask Dr. Andersen about the types of issues cancer patients face. I would also like to know if
she works with oncologists to come up with treatment plans for patients. If not why, if yes,
is it effective? What can be improved to help bridge the gap between oncologist, nurses,
and mental health professionals.
Susan D. Block MD
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
sblock@partners.org
(617) 632-6181
Associate Professor of psychiatry and medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Susan D. Block wrote an article on the Psychiatric Disorders in Advanced Cancer. Her
findings prove that treating psychiatric conditions improves quality of life in patients with
advanced cancer. I would like to find out what if any impact her research has had on the
medical community. If not, what does she see as the future for dealing with psychiatric
illness in cancer patients?
Jonathan Inz, Ph.D., Director
Medical Psychology Center
978-921-4000 extension 10
jinz@medicalpsychologycenter.com
100 Cummings Center suite 456J
Beverly, MA 01915
I would like to know how patients get referred to his facility. Does the medical psychology center
work with oncologists? What is the procedure followed when a patient comes to the
center?
Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Baker Hall, Room 335-D
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
(412) 268-2336 or 268-2781
SCOHEN@CMU.EDU
http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~scohen/
Sheldon Cohen’s research focuses on the roles of stress and social support systems in health and
well-being. I would like to talk to him about the research he has done concerning cancer patients
and their thought process. Did his research have an impact on the medical community?
John Kelley is an
Assistant Professor of
Psychology and Statistics
at Endicott College. He is
also an Instructor in the
Psychiatry Department at
Harvard Medical School,
and a staff psychologist at
Massachusetts General
Hospital. Dr. Kelley
earned a bachelor's
degree from Harvard
University, and he holds
M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in
clinical psychology from
the University of Oregon.
He is a licensed
psychologist with a
private practice in general
psychotherapy. In
addition, he is a
co-investigator on several
National Institutes of
Health research grants
that seek to understand
how the doctor-patient
relationship affects
clinical outcomes in
psychiatric disorders such
as anxiety and
depression, as well as in
somatic illnesses such as
asthma and irritable
bowel syndrome. Dr.
Kelley is particularly
interested in how the
doctor-patient
relationship contributes
to placebo effects.
Finally, he is interested in
helping researchers,
clinicians, and students
improve their
understanding and use of
statistics. At Endicott, Dr.
Kelley teaches Abnormal
Psychology, Theories of
Counseling, Applied
Statistics, Statistics for
the Social Sciences,
Research Methods,
Senior Thesis, and
Freshman Seminar.