Psycho-oncology

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Psycho- oncology (from psychology and oncology ) refers to the psychological care of cancer patients . Another name is psychosocial oncology . Psycho-oncology is therefore an interdisciplinary form of psychotherapy or clinical psychology that deals with the psychological, social and socio-legal conditions, consequences and side effects of cancer.

Psycho-oncology as a science

Psycho-oncology as a science began in the 1970s with the investigation of psychosocial factors that are believed to be partly responsible for the development of cancer ( psychoimmunology ). In this context, the claim made in the 1980s that the cancer risk is highly correlated with certain personality traits that condense in “personality type C” has become known. "Type C" represents dependent and overadapting people who appear self-reliant, defensive and depressed and are unable to express their feelings appropriately. In the meantime, the construct of the "cancer personality" has been largely rejected by science. The individual lifestyle, for example tobacco smoking , can, however, make a decisive contribution to the development of cancer and influence the course of the disease. Since behavior can be conditioned by psychological states, certain personality traits could favor the development of cancer, even if the concept of a “cancer personality” is considered an inadmissible simplification today. The concept nevertheless enjoys a certain popularity and is still being championed by individual scientists - albeit without well-founded systematic evidence. Ronald Grossarth-Maticek describes the question of whether there is a cancer-causing personality as nonsense. Instead of looking for monocausal connections, he regards people as a highly complex system that tries to create mental and physical well-being through self-active self-regulation . Disease development is a multifactorial process. For example, rational, anti-emotional behavior that, in conjunction with other risk factors, is considered a predictor of cancer, with a high degree of autonomy in the absence of these risk factors can even be a positive factor for health. "The best cancer therapy is a combination of the most modern medical methods offered in a humane and supportive manner - with the best possible psychological care." (O. Carl Simonton)

Mental stress as a result of cancer

Since the 1990s, the question of which psychological stress or manifest disorders can develop as a result of cancer and in what form these can affect the quality of life of those affected or on medical-clinical aspects has been increasingly discussed . An important aspect here concerns the construction and application of valid and cancer-specific measuring instruments for recording psychological comorbidity . Related to this is the search for factors that can predict a concomitant psychological illness as reliably as possible - which in turn opens up the possibility of providing them with psychosocial care quickly and at an early stage.

Some authors assume that about a third of all cancer patients also experience a psychological disorder in the sense of comorbidity as a result of the severe psychological stress caused by the underlying disease . Today, psychological care for cancer patients is a regular part of medical therapies. Research contributed to this that showed the influence of psychosocial care in aftercare on the chances of recovery and improvement after cancer.

The role of the psycho-oncologist

In the practical care or therapy context, it is up to the psycho-oncologist to support the patient in coping with the disease by means of various techniques, for example through crisis intervention, resource-oriented interventions or through imaginative processes and work with metaphors. The aim is to strengthen the patient's ability to cope with the disease. As far as possible, the personal social environment of the person concerned is also integrated. Psycho-oncological care should be ensured in all phases of the illness, i.e. during acute treatment, rehabilitation and possibly also during the dying process .

On a technical level, psycho-oncology in Germany is organized in the German Working Group for Psychosocial Oncology eV (dapo), scientifically in the Working Group for Psycho-oncology in the German Cancer Society (PSO). Corresponding companies are also active in Austria and Switzerland .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ SO Dalton, L. Mellemkjaer et al. a .: Depression and cancer risk: a register-based study of patients hospitalized with affective disorders, Denmark, 1969-1993. In: American journal of epidemiology. Volume 155, Number 12, June 2002, pp. 1088-1095, ISSN  0002-9262 . PMID 12048222 .
  2. ↑ IR Schapiro, LF Nielsen u. a .: Psychic vulnerability and the associated risk for cancer. In: Cancer. Volume 94, Number 12, June 2002, pp. 3299-3306, ISSN  0008-543X . doi : 10.1002 / cncr.10601 . PMID 12115364 .
  3. ↑ R. Schwarz: The cancer personality. Myth and Clinical Reality. Schattauer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-7945-1639-7 .
  4. ↑ Volker Tschuschke: Psyche and the emergence of cancer . In: Freerk Baumann, Wilhelm Bloch, Elke Jäger (eds.): Sport and physical activity in oncology . Springer, 2012, ISBN 978-3-642-25065-1 , pp. 105 f.
  5. ↑ Ronald Grossarth-Maticek: Systemic Epidemiology and Preventive Behavioral Medicine De Gruyter Verlag 1999, page 101.
  6. ↑ Walter Weber: Health on your own
  7. ↑ Jun Nagano, Bojan Godina: Paradigm Shift in Research into Health and Disease Development, page 88
  8. ↑ Ronald Grossarth-Maticek: Systemic Epidemiology and Preventive Behavioral Medicine De Gruyter Verlag 1999, page 12
  9. ^ Psycho-oncological service
  10. ↑ O. Carl Simonton: On the Mend - Steps to Physical and Spiritual Healing
  11. ↑ Kathrin Burger: CANCER - NOT A MATTER OF PERSONALITY
  12. ↑ S. Singer, H. Bringmann, J. Hauss, R.-D. Kortmann, U. Köhler, O. Krauss, R. Schwarz: Frequency of accompanying psychological illnesses and the desire for psychosocial support for tumor patients in acute hospitals. In: German Medical Weekly. Volume 132, 2007, pp. 2071-2076.
  13. ^ German Cancer Research Center : Psycho-oncology as a subject
  14. ↑ Andrea Schneider: Psychooncology: The mental attitude influences cancer therapy Aerzteblatt April 2003 page 175
  15. ^ A. Sellschopp , M. Fegg, E. Frick: Psychoonkologie: Recommendations for diagnosis, therapy and aftercare. 2nd edition, Zuckschwerdt, Germering near Munich 2005 ISBN 978-3-8860-3870-1
  16. ^ Almuth Sellschopp: Ways and goals of psychosocial cancer aftercare. Habilitation thesis, 2nd volume Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich 1991
  17. ↑ cf. Agstner: Cancer and its metaphors in psychotherapy with oncological patients , Vienna 2008.

literature

  • Irene Agstner: Cancer and its metaphors in psychotherapy with oncological patients. With a foreword by Gerhard Benetka. Krammer, Vienna 2008. ISBN 978-3-90181-129-6
  • Christa Diegelmann, Margarete Isermann (Hrsg.): Resource-oriented psycho-oncology: encouraging psyche and body. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-17-020905-3
  • Pia Heussner et al. (Ed.): Manual Psychoonkologie. Recommendations for diagnosis, therapy and follow-up care. 3. Edition. Zuckschwerdt, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-88603-964-7
  • Sabine Lenz: The ability to die. My psychological work with cancer patients , Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-498-03803-8
  • Fritz Meerwein , Walter Bräutigam : Introduction to psycho-oncology. 5th edition. Huber, Bern 1998, ISBN 3-456-82916-7
  • Reinhold Schwarz , Susanne Singer: Introduction to Psychosocial Oncology. Reinhardt, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8252-3071-5
  • Volker Tschuschke : Psycho-oncology: Psychological aspects of the development and coping with cancer. 3. Edition. Schattauer, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-7945-2750-2
  • Thomas Schopperth (Ed.): Psycho-oncology - Risks and Chances of Change. Dapo yearbook 2012. Pabst, Lengerich / Berlin / Bremen Miami / Fla / Riga / Viernheim / Vienna / Zagreb 2013, ISBN 978-3-89967-869-7

See also

Web links

This is the spoken version of the article Psycho-Oncology.