Effective clinical psychological interventions for breast cancer patients with psychological distress

<b>Background/Purpose</b>: The purpose of this study is to clarify the effectiveness of interventions for breast cancer patients with psychological distress by a clinical psychologist on the basis of the contents of the interventions and counseling. <b>Methods</b>: The participants were 20 inpatient and outpatient women aged from 33 to 73 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The interventions were conducted on the basis of patients' complaints about anxiety and/or depression or by a medical doctor's request. The interventions employed unstructured, one-on-one interviews. Each interview usually lasted no more than 60 minutes. <b>Results</b>: The 20 cases were classified into the following categories: (1) 15 general (nonpsychiatric) cases, consisting of (1-1) 9 cases at the cancer-notification and progressive-therapeutic stages and (1-2) 6 cases at the progressive-relapse stage; and (2) 5 specific (psychiatric) cases, consisting of (2-1) 3 cases at the cancer-notification and progressive-therapeutic stages and (2-2) 2 cases at the progressive-relapsestage. As for the general cases, interventions were found to be effective in all 9 cases at the cancer-notification and progressive-therapeutic stages but in only 2 of 6 cases at the progressive-relapse stage. In specific cases, effective interventions were found at the cancer-notification, the progressive-therapeutic, and the progressive-relapsestages. <b>Conclusion</b>: This study suggested that interventions for breast cancer patients by a clinical psychologist are effective. The psychological interventions had two roles: to assess the patients properly and to interview the patients as purposefully as a medical team member would.

Intervention of a clinical psychologist in the treatment of an autistic patient with pancreatic cancer: a report on a surgical case

<b>Case</b>: A 40-year-old woman. <b>Clinical diagnosis</b>: Autistic disorder with mild mental retardation. <b>Case report</b>: The patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for the treatment of her pancreatic cancer. We held several conferences with individuals from different medical fields and examined the influence of the patient's autistic disorder on the perioperative conditions. The senior author, a clinical psychologist, conducted repeated individual, acceptive, and sympathetic interviews with the patient and her family and maintained supportive relationships with them as an honorary family member. Thus, the clinical psychologist helped reduce the patient's anxiety about the medical treatment. <b>Conclusion</b>: The participation of a clinical psychologist in the medical conferences enabled the medical staff to understand the complications involved and provide mental support to the patient and her family. Palliat Care Res 2010; 5(2): 323-326