Psychosocial Issues In Palliative Care

by Mari Lloyd-Williams

• ISBN13: 9780199216420
• ISBN10: 0199216428
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Caring for patients with a terminal illness and their families requires the skills of many professionals working together as a team. It is often the psychosocial issues surrounding patients and families that cause professionals even greater difficulty than the physical symptoms. The issues ofpsychosocial assessment, treatment, care, and support of palliative care patients differs from the care of patients with early, treatable cancer - time is short and the emphasis different both from a patient and carer perspective. This new edition of a successful text examines current practice andprovision of psychosocial support as applied to palliative care patients. It is a highly practical text, comprehensively reviewing the current literature and evidence in order to demonstrate good, and better, practice in psychosocial care.The text covers a number of areas including the nature of services required to provide effective psychosocial care; cultural issues of psychosocial care and adaptation; and the importance of communication, including patients with communication difficulties; and socio-economic issues affecting thepatient with advanced metastatic disease. Specific disorders such as anxiety and depression are included, as is the integration of service provision. The book also explores the evidence of specific psychotherapeutic interventions and includes guidelines on techniques that can be used in clinicalpractice. Complementary therapies are widely sought by patients and families and the evidence base is slowly growing - a comprehensive review of such therapies including herbal and homeopathic medicines is included. Whilst spiritual support and staff support are an integral part of all aspects ofpsychosocial care, and are incorporated throughout, these areas are also discussed in-depth in individual chapters. Practical guidelines are offered throughout, to encourage the best possible care in this complex area.

Author Biography

Professor Lloyd-Williams was appointed as Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool in 2002, and in 2003 was promoted to a personal chair in recognition of her research experience. She has published over 100 papers, and is lead and chair of the Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Studies Group at Liverpool, which has secured in excess of L3.3 million of research grant income over the past 3 years. Current research focuses on screening for depression, interventions for depression, association between physical symptoms and concomitant depression, studies exploring support needs for children and families where a parent has advanced cancer, longitudinal studies of early loss of a parent, and also symptom burden in non malignant disease. She is also Director of community medical education for the medical school, chair of the 2006 Palliative Care Congress, and is the UK representative on the EAPC Research Steering Committee.

Table of Contents

Colour Plates: My Life's Mandala	p. xii
Contributors	p. xiii
Setting the context: What do we mean by psychosocial care in palliative care?	p. 1
Communication issues	p. 21
Social impact of advanced metastatic cancer	p. 49
Family-centred care: psychosocial care for the marginalized	p. 69
Current provision of psychosocial care within palliative care	p. 95
Anxiety and adjustment disorders	p. 115
Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of depression in palliative care	p. 129
Psychotherapeutic interventions in palliative care	p. 161
Complementary therapies	p. 179
Spiritual care	p. 191
Bereavement care and hope	p. 207
Staff support	p. 231
Index	p. 253
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