Review

PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES IN BREAST CANCER AND SUPPORTIVE INTERVENTIONS

  • Aysun Babacan Gümüş

Eur J Breast Health 2006;2(3):108-114

Breast cancer continues to be one of the most common cancer type among women and to affect them most severely. It is situation of a crisis, affecting variety aspects of women’s life including physical, psychologic, social and spritual dimension. In this process women usually experiences variety issues such as the probability of cancer’s spreading, uncertainty about future, anxiety, depression, anger, hopelessness, suffering, damaging of body image, decreasing of self-respect, fear of losing feminine features. In this respect, in breast cancer treatment and patient care should be multidimentional. In the cope with breast cancer, the one of the main functions of health professionals, which evaluates individuals within a holistic approach, is to support individuals in struggling with illness experiences and realizing the meaning of life, when their energy and knowledge is inadequate. For this aim in this article, the psychosocial issues caused by breast cancer and supportive interventions which can be applied to these problems are reviewed.