login
Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Anxiety Disorder Among Cancer Patients Ignored
Speaking at the Clinical Oncological Society of Australias (COSA) Annual Scientific Meeting at Melbourne today, psycho-oncologist Jane Fletcher urged health professionals to keep a close eye on recently diagnosed cancer patients to see if they showed signs of anxiety or distress. She felt that many patients were not having their emotional health assessed and treated.
One in four cancer patients have an anxiety disorder and a small number have more serious conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. But some patients are too embarrassed to come forward, and so it was for the doctor to be alert to psychological distress being undergone by them. The problem can be treated with measures such as cognitive behaviour therapy.
In the absence of intervention, patients conditions could escalate rapidly from general anxiety to more serious issues, including panic attacks.
There is a lot of under-reporting, unmet need and high levels of morbidity. The impact [of anxiety disorders] on cancer patients and their family members can be significant and long-term.
Unfortunately, we dont have the clinical culture or training to readily identify and intervene early enough.
Without encouragement and support from health professionals, patients wont raise issues and tend to think anxiety is something they just have to put up with.
But we need oncologists, GPs and other health professionals to be more adept at noticing when their patients exhibit signs of anxiety or distress and to take appropriate action, she said.
There is a lot of under-reporting, unmet need and high levels of morbidity. The impact [of anxiety disorders] on cancer patients and their family members can be significant and long-term.
Unfortunately, we dont have the clinical culture or training to readily identify and intervene early enough.
Without encouragement and support from health professionals, patients wont raise issues and tend to think anxiety is something they just have to put up with.
But we need oncologists, GPs and other health professionals to be more adept at noticing when their patients exhibit signs of anxiety or distress and to take appropriate action, she said.
|
|
|
More News on: Anxiety Disorder, Sleep Problems in Children, Agoraphobia, Cancer and Homeopathy, Life Stress, Aspergerīs Syndrome, Stress Relief Through Alternative Medicine, Cancer Facts, Cancer, Tattoos A Body Art
 Comment & Contribute
|
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
 | Quiz on Cancer Looking for information on cancer? Go through medindia's Cancer quiz. 
|
- News Quick Links
 | News Central | | Health Watch | |
| Latest Health News | | Health In Focus | |
| News Category (500+) | | Breaking Health News | |
| Popular News | | Celebrating Life | |
| Health News and Press Release | | Medindia - Exclusive | |
| News Photo Gallery | | India Special | |
| News Video Gallery | | Lifestyle and Wellness | |
| News From Other Resources | |||
 |
Cancer
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | Report: A Lot of Americans Have No Access to Health Care |
| » | Greece Faces Humanitarian Crisis as Health Care Access Declines in EU, Doctors Group Warns |
| » | HCCI Report Says Rising Prices for Care Responsible for Increased Healthcare Costs for Privately Insured Americans |
| » | Treatment in ED is Based on Children's Insurance Status |
| » | US Spends Most on Healthcare Without Providing Superior Care |
| More Insurance News | |
|
Cancer Related News |
||||||||
| » | Scientists Develop Compound That Triggers Cancer Cell Death | » | Iraqi National Hopes to Find Affordable Treatment for His Cancer in India | |||||
| » | New Technique can Help Doctors Detect Pancreatic Cancer | » | Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors Probed | |||||
| » | Breast MRI 'Better Than Clinical Approach for Predicting Chemotherapy's Efficiency' | » | No Need for PSA-Based Screening for Prostate Cancer: Task Force | |||||
| » | Blocking Protein Reduces Risk of Heart Damage After Chemo | » | Researchers Identify Early-life Risk Factors for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | |||||
| Read More >> | ||||||||
