The Psychological Aspects of Cancer in Man

PsychosomaticsPublished 1 March 1971

Judith Bronner-Huszar

Citations23

TL;DR

The effects of physical illness and its consequences upon the previously healthy or upon the sick mind are explored, and a better understanding of the psychiatric aspects of work with cancer patients and their relatives can enable the profession to more effectively deal with the emotional turm oil and the dire anticipations of the afflicted and their families.

Abstract

• A better understanding of the psychiatric aspects of work with cancer patients and their relatives can enable the profession to more effectively deal with the emotional turm oil and the dire anticipations of the afflicted and their families. 1 shall concentrate on exploring the effects of physical illness and its consequences upon the previously healthy or upon the sick mind. 1 shall not attempt to deal with the question: Can emotional disturbances or grave psycho logical shocks-such as the loss of a beloved spouse, for instance-cause cancer, predispose towards cancer, or even influence the clinical course of neoplastic disease. To my knowl edge, this has never been adequately proven as yet-nor, for that matter-has it been scientifically refuted. More, truly scientific work is needed in this area. What does illness, especially chronic, de bilitating, life-endangering illness, mean to the patient? It interferes with his daily activities, earning capacity, his social and familial rela tionships and his sexual activities. It makes him unable to take care of himself and, there fore, delivers him to the mercy of an often merciless environment; it wracks his body with pain, a body he is compelled to watch wasting away and, ultimately, it delivers him to helpless agony and to death. And the pic ture is in no way overdrawn. How does the patient react to all of this special and severe form of stress? Such stress does threaten or disrupt important defense mechanisms which the patient has evolved to bring his physical and emotional needs into harmony with the demands of his environ ment. It follows that, whenever such defense mechanisms are threatened or disrupted, a

Keywords

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