You have learned that you or a person close to you has been diagnosed with cancer and a diagnosis has been made that disrupts your plans, instills anxiety and uncertainty... Do not give in to these feelings, because now you especially need all your mental strength, a clear mind and the will to combat the emerging danger.

Rule #1. In the beginning there was a word

Rule #2. Selecting an interlocutor

Choose it carefully. Beware of those who like to make fun of other people’s difficulties, and even add fuel to the fire by starting to tell you many sad examples that, as you understand, do not apply to you at all! You need a reasonable and active interlocutor, who, first of all, can be your doctor or psychologist.

Close people. You also need interlocutors among your close people. And here, first of all, it is not knowledge or even organizational skills that are important (although later, perhaps, it will be important for you to have a mobile, active person in your inner circle who is ready to practically help in solving current issues). First of all, talk to those who really care about you, who are attached to you. Feel how they worry about you, because our loved ones often worry even about common cold, and you know that their fear is not a characteristic of the danger of the disease, but simply an expression of their love and care. It is important for you to understand that they need you. Let this be an incentive to forget about work and household chores for a while and strictly follow the doctor’s instructions.

Doctor. Ask your doctor carefully what steps you need to take. Perhaps he will give you real statistics on your type of disease - but in fact, no matter what the “grandmothers on the bench” sometimes say, oncology today has several dozen diagnoses that are recognized all over the world (and in Russia too) 100% curable. It is possible that we are not yet talking about a diagnosis, but only about the first suspicion, which requires additional tests and checks.

Rule #3. Time factor

In oncology, as in any field of medicine, time is important factor, and here it is important not to delay and not torment yourself with doubts - do I really need this? – take all additional actions quickly, clearly and in a timely manner. Doctors often rush you not because everything is already bad, but precisely because right now they see good prospects for treatment. In addition, scientists are developing diagnostic and treatment standards solely to achieve a positive outcome. Oncological diagnosis does not always mean the path to a chronic, recurrent disease; often you just need to spend a certain amount of time on treatment. But this time is usually quite significant, we can talk about several months, and from here...

Rule #4. You are a full and active participant in the treatment process

First of all, you need to gather strength and analyze your resources. We are talking primarily about psychological resources. In the book by A.I. Solzhenitsyn “Cancer Ward” main character, the prototype of which was the author himself, during treatment inspires each cancer cell that they are destroyed, that they will no longer exist. It may be worth listening to the writer’s experience: having been hospitalized with the most severe diagnosis, not being able to undergo full treatment, he, including through the power of his conviction, overcame the disease so much that it did not relapse throughout his life - but A.I. Solzhenitsyn is far from 80 years old.

Rule #5. Learn to control yourself

Psychologists believe that it is very dangerous to accept the disease as component yourself, to “let” her into your life. If we take into account the nature of cancer, our body has already made the mistake of mistaking cells that are subject to dying for new and valuable elements of its structure, which it actively nourishes and grows (it is on this “failure” that the spread of tumor cells is built). Therefore, our psyche must be actively tuned to reject the disease, reject the tumor. Do not consider this problem to be part of your life forever. Think about what will happen after the treatment stage - believe that such a time will come - think about what you want to achieve, what you want to achieve. The believer wins - this must be remembered always and everywhere, and not only in illness.

Rule #6. Control of the situation

Another important resource is organizational. Be businesslike about your treatment plans. Determine on the basis of which medical institution You will go through it, find out what additional features And social benefits you have (a lot reference information contained directly on our website). And, of course, seek advice from who can help you practically.

Rule #7. I act, I fight, I live

It may happen that at first you will not have enough information about future prospects and opportunities. Therefore, your actions are additional consultations and diagnostics. Often, the first words about suspected cancer can be told to you by a therapist or an ultrasound doctor, and not all doctors in these specialties are fully familiar with complex cases when the reason for doubt they notice may look like a tumor, but is not one at all. Do not rush to psychics, astrologers and traditional healers etc. - You will most likely be deceived.

Find a qualified doctor, preferably in a specialized oncology institution, and take the time and effort to thoroughly check all doubts. Our site also provides recommendations on which hospitals and cancer clinics in your city are the best experts on these issues. Find out from them new information, think through all aspects of next steps. Trust your oncologist; qualified specialists work in oncology departments and hospitals. This specialization requires scientific thinking, extensive experience and compassion. Every year there are latest technologies treatments for which our oncologists undergo special training courses, so their knowledge is now an important resource for you!. Fight together with doctors.

Life. Sometimes during an illness it seems to us that it has separated us from the usual circle of people, worries, interests, and thereby made us lonely. Life seems divided into time "to" And "after" diagnosis. But often we make ourselves so lonely. Look for those who can help you, and you will see that there are many such people. Save "clear head", do not entrust your destiny to either vague fears or annoying "magicians". After all, this is your life, you have it, it continues, and although there is a whole army of doctors next to you, whole batteries of medicines, whole legions of inventions modern science– the commander of this army is you.

Find answers

And it is possible to find all these resources: our website was created for this. Ask your questions here, get acquainted with examples of successful treatment, positive statistics, and learn more about medical achievements. Yours "neighbours" There are doctors on this site, and their active participation in our project is proof of how much domestic doctors care about the problems of oncology, how great their desire is to more effectively and successfully treat every person affected by this disease.

Telephone psychological assistance 8–800–100–0191
Calls within Russia are free, consultations are available 24 hours a day.

Gridkovets L.M., Kutepova I.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Any disease has three levels of manifestation: physical, psychological and spiritual. Psychological level forms factors that play a significant role both in a person’s susceptibility to diseases, including cancer, and in getting rid of them. Often cancer is visible side a person’s internal conflict and indicates the presence of internal unresolved problems in him, intensified by stressful experiences and events.

Physical methods of treatment remain an integral component in the fight against such terrible diseases as cancer. However, without a certain system of ideas with the help of which both patients and doctors could promote treatment and form positive expectations in patients, treatment will be incomplete. If it is possible to mobilize the whole person to fight the disease, the likelihood of his recovery increases significantly.

Anyone can take responsibility for analyzing or even reconsidering those of their ideas and feelings that do not contribute to treatment and do not help them fight for their life and health. The search for an answer to this question again brings us back to the emotional and psychological factors influencing the state of health and the occurrence of disease. The same reasons why one patient remains alive, and another, with the same diagnosis and treatment, dies, also affect a person’s very ability to perceive the disease as such, i.e. on the ability to accept or reject the disease.

Scientific research has shown that:

Strong emotional stress increases the body's susceptibility to diseases;

Chronic stress leads to depression immune system, which in turn further increases the body’s susceptibility to diseases and especially to cancer;

Emotional stress not only suppresses the immune system, but also leads to hormonal disorders, which can contribute to the appearance of atypical cells just at the moment when the body is least able to fight them.

Studies among cancer patients show that shortly before the onset of the disease, many of them lost significant emotional connections. When the object or role with which a person associates himself begins to be threatened or they simply disappear, then he finds himself as if alone with himself in the absence of skills to cope with similar situations. In this case, cancer acts as a symptom of the manifestation of unresolved human problems

A special role in the formation cancerous tumors play negative fixative experiences of childhood of the individual. The child’s psychological reserve is limited, and accordingly, the behavior patterns determined by this limitation of the internal reserve are scripted in nature.

New stressful situations that arise confront a person with a problem that he can no longer cope with. This does not mean that stress causes this problem. It arises as a result of the fact that a person cannot cope with stress without violating the rules of behavior he himself has established and without going beyond the scope of his once chosen role.

Not seeing the opportunity to change the rules of his behavior, a person feels helpless and the intractability of the current situation. A person refuses to solve a problem, loses flexibility, the ability to change and develop. As soon as a person loses hope, his life turns into “running in place”, he no longer tries to achieve anything. From the outside it may seem that he lives a completely normal life, but for him, existence loses any other meaning other than fulfilling the usual conventions. A serious illness or death represents for him a way out of this situation, a resolution of the problem or its postponement.

Some patients can remember this sequence of thoughts, others are not aware of it. However, most admit that in the months before the onset of the disease they experienced feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. This process does not cause cancer; rather, it allows it to develop. If people can recognize themselves in the description given, then this will serve as a signal to them, calling for active actions, to the need to change something in your life.

There are four psychological stage, allowing a person to get out of a crisis to health:

When a person finds out that he is sick and that his illness can be fatal, he begins to see his problems in a new way; - a person decides to change his behavior, to become different;

The physiological processes occurring in the body react to the flaring up of hope and the newly emerging desire to live. In most cases, this process does not go completely smoothly - it has its ups and downs;

The recovered patient feels “better than just fine.”

He develops spiritual strength, a positive self-image, and faith in his ability to influence own life- everything that, without any doubt, indicates a higher level of psychological development. Many of those who took an active position in the fight against the disease, in positive side The attitude towards life also changes. They gain faith that everything will work out well and stop seeing themselves as a victim. It is necessary to judge the actual mood of patients not only by their words, but also by their actions.

But not only the person himself influences the course of the disease. Other people play a major role in the development of the disease and recovery:

Research by psychologists has shown the meaning of "predestining prophecy or prediction." And even the results scientific research may become a provocative factor stimulating the development of the disease. When we expect something, we act on that expectation and thus increase the likelihood that it will come true.

Certain expectations (of doctors, relatives, etc.) influence the result, causing unconscious changes in behavior. Often, anticipation can also play a very negative role.

Sometimes it can be difficult to know whether some side effects Are they really the body’s reaction to treatment, or are they caused by certain ideas of the person.

Experiments clearly confirm the power of negative attitudes. Social ideas about cancer have a very strong negative impact. Many patients are able to be courageous and strong. In order to help them in this difficult task, it is necessary to contrast the negative attitudes towards cancer existing in society with a system of positive ideas. The negative experiences of many people were not determined by the actual state of things, but to some extent were the result of their initial negative attitude.

There is an opinion that one should not instill “unjustified hopes” in a person. But a life position in which there is no place for hope is not realism, but the most common pessimism. It can save a person from disappointment, but at the same time actively contributes to achieving exactly negative results. This position deprives people of any opportunity to live. life to the fullest and fight when their lives are threatened. Every patient striving to become healthy inevitably faces the need to reconsider his attitude towards a life-threatening disease, he must be “open” to hope.

Psychologists have noticed that especially good results achieved by those patients who perceived these principles slowly and gradually. While they were thinking through all the details, weighing all the pros and cons, these ideas were internalized at all levels of the personality, penetrating into all personal attitudes and behavior. And although all patients are visited from time to time by doubts - echoes of old ideas, the very desire to reconsider old views and the belief that you are capable of doing this are of great importance.

Psychological processes that help to free oneself from unpleasant feelings, express negative emotions and forgive past grievances (real or imagined) can become an important element in the prevention and overcoming of diseases. We feel stress not only at the moment when we experience a certain event that contributes to the formation negative emotions, but also every time I remember this event. As our own research and the work of others show, such “delayed” stress and the tension associated with it can have a strong negative impact on the body’s natural defense systems. At the very beginning, such feelings can be absolutely justified, but in the future, continuing to carry them “within themselves,” a person will have to pay for this with increased physiological and emotional stress. If you also have these feelings, then first of all you will have to admit that it is no one other than yourself that is the main source of stress.

But it’s one thing to believe in the need to free yourself from grievances and forgive them, and quite another thing to learn how to do this.

Various spiritual mentors and representatives of various philosophical schools have always spoken about the need for forgiveness. It is unlikely that they would pay so much attention to this problem if it were easy to forgive. But on the other hand, they wouldn't offer it if it wasn't possible.

Emmett Fox's book "The Sermon on the Mount" offers a specific practical method, helping a person to forgive. The essence of it is to imagine the person you hold a grudge against and imagine that something good happens to him. As you mentally repeat this process over and over again, especially if you recreate a stressful situation, it becomes easier to imagine something good happening to that person, and as a result, you begin to feel better about them. Forming mental images to overcome resentment will help the feelings that have not found an outlet that live in you to be freed. After patients let go of resentments toward other people, the last person they forgive is themselves. According to the results of objective psychological tests, after long-term use This method reduces the desire of patients to suppress and deny their emotions.

It may happen that, while working to overcome grievances, patients find that no matter how hard they try, they cannot forgive a certain person. This usually means that there is some benefit hidden for them in the negative feeling towards him and they have some benefit from it. Perhaps resentment allows them to remain a victim, that is, to play a certain role that gives them reason to feel sorry for themselves and at the same time not take responsibility for changing their lives. Thus, in order to come to terms with someone else's behavior, you have to take a very careful look at your own. If you can forgive yourself, you will be able to forgive others. If it is difficult to forgive others, this is most often due to the fact that it is difficult to extend forgiveness to oneself.

By directing the energy associated with resentment to constructive solutions, a person takes a step towards leading the life he wants. This, in turn, strengthens the body’s ability to fight cancer and radically improves the quality of life.

Some scientists suggest that cancer patients have a disruption in communication with the resources of the unconscious. In our experience, many recovered patients eventually come to the conclusion that their illness was partly a signal that they needed to pay more attention to their unconscious self rather than to what others expected of them. Many patients talked about special insights, feelings, dreams or images, thanks to which they acquired very important knowledge necessary on the path to restoring health.

In order for patients to connect with their deepest source of healing and strength, they are trained to work with the Inner Guide. By mentally evoking the image of the Inner Guide, they gain access to their unconscious.

For the first time, work with the Inner Guide was used in psychotherapy by the psychoanalytic school of Jung (Jung called him the Wise Being). Jung said that sometimes during meditation or a state of thoughtfulness, images appear that exist as if on their own, independently.

For many people, the Inner Guide takes the form of some respected authoritative figure (an old wise woman or a sage, a doctor, a religious figure), with whom one can conduct an internal dialogue, ask questions and listen to answers that seem to go beyond the conscious. ny abilities of a person.

Moreover, patients often respond better to the insights that come to them during a conversation with the Inner Guide than to the observations of the therapist. Since the Inner Guide is nothing other than a part of their own personality, trusting such a guide is a healthy step towards taking responsibility for their own physical and mental health.

In patients, the Inner Guide, as a rule, takes the form of either some respected person, or some other figure that has great symbolic meaning. Dr. Bresler, who works in the clinic at medical college Los Angeles University, who specializes in pain management, often asks his patients to turn to their Inner Guide for pain relief. At the same time, he invites them to imagine him in the form of some funny animals like Freddy the Frog.

Mental images play an important role in the recovery process; in particular, they should provide visualization of the fact that:

Cancer cells are quite weak and do not have a rigid structure;

The treatment is powerful and powerful;

The army of leukocytes is huge and far outnumbers cancer cells, etc.;

The clarity of leukocytes must exceed the clarity of expression cancer cells. Often the properties endowed with leukocytes reflect the psychological difficulties people face;

Therapeutic treatment is a friend and ally.

It is necessary to reward the remedies with some specific features, to make them an assistant and a friend who helps to cope with the disease.

The main goal is to recover, and therefore it is very important how the patient imagines the return of health, vitality and energy. He should try to imagine that he is achieving his goals and that this gives him pleasure.

One of the most important stages Part of the recovery process for a cancer patient is overcoming pain. Scientists still do not know exactly what causes pain and how it connects the body and psyche, and which part of it is determined by physical and which psychological reasons. At the same time there is the whole system helping to overcome acute painful sensations. Physical pain sometimes performs several psychological functions at once. An oncological patient may believe that the “benefits” of the disease, in the form of increased love and attention from others, the opportunity to escape from an unpleasant situation, etc., are caused to a greater extent by his suffering from pain, rather than simply by the fact of malignancy. illness - after all, pain reminds of illness with such obviousness.

Because pain is often associated with fear and tension, many patients find that when they begin to regularly practice relaxation and visualization exercises, the pain decreases.

When working with pain, it is necessary to help patients understand the role of emotional moments, ask them to pay attention to when and why pain occurs, what its intensity depends on, under what conditions the patient does not experience it at all or almost completely, to realize how he himself promotes pain.

The pain is never constant, although patients often describe it that way. If they began to record their pain, they would find that there are times when it leaves them completely, when the pain is minimal and when it varies in intensity. It would be good for them to track their thoughts and events in life at each of these moments.

Psychologists, considering together with patients the emotional components that contribute to the occurrence of pain, simultaneously use three ways to directly combat pain using mental images:

1. Visual representation of the healing powers of the body itself

The purpose of this exercise is to help a person mobilize healing powers body and direct them to the painful area in order to eliminate existing disorders and thus reduce pain.

2. Making a connection with pain.

With pain, as with the Inner Guide, you can establish a connection and conduct a mental conversation. In both cases, there is an opportunity to learn a lot about the emotional components of pain and illness. No one can name the reason for the patient's troubles better than himself.

Another way to reduce pain is to imagine what it looks like. Like the first exercise, this method is aimed at strengthening faith in one’s own ability to control the processes occurring in the body.

3.Visual representation of pain.

Some of the patients have discovered what is perhaps the most productive way: they try to replace the pain with some kind of pleasure. They noticed that if, when pain appears, you do something pleasant that brings joy, the pain weakens or even disappears altogether.

The effectiveness of assistance to cancer patients increases if not only patients, but also their husbands or wives take part in the psychological program, and if they are not there, then the closest family members. The support of husband, wife and the entire family often determines how much the patient can cope with all this. Another, no less significant, reason is that the spouses and families of patients often need support no less than the patients themselves.

Every family that has an oncology patient wants to help him and feels responsible for his support. At the same time, it is very important that the patient’s relatives do not forget about their own needs and give the patient the opportunity to be responsible for his own health. Therefore, it is very important that the family treats him as a responsible person, and not as a helpless child or victim.

The most important thing lies in the phrase: “I will be with you.” No persuasion or kind words cannot be compared to the fact that you will be together with a loved one, no matter how old he is. Support without trying to “save”. At first glance, by “saving” someone, you are helping that person, but in reality you are only encouraging his weakness and powerlessness. This contributes to the fact that all family members are impaired in their ability to sincerely express their feelings.

Equally dangerous is the desire to protect the patient from other difficulties, for example, not telling him that his son or daughter is not doing well at school. If something is hidden from the patient, believing that “he is already in trouble,” this alienates him from his family at the very moment when it is very important for him to feel this connection and take part in general affairs. Intimacy between people occurs when they share their feelings. As soon as feelings begin to be hidden, intimacy is lost.

The patient can also take on the role of “savior”. Most often this happens when he “protects” those around him, hiding his fears and anxieties from them. At this moment he begins to feel especially lonely. Sometimes this leads to the fact that the patient’s relatives continue to have painful experiences after he has recovered or died.

If you find that, instead of helping, you are “saving” someone, remember: the life of the patient depends on how much he can use the resources of his own body. Promote health, not illness. Your love and support should serve as the patient's reward for independence and independence, and not for weakness. Do not deprive him of the opportunity to take care of himself. Be sure to pay attention to any improvement in the patient’s condition. Engage in some activity with him that is not related to the disease.

If a person has cancer, this does not mean that he should stop rejoicing. On the contrary, the more joys life brings to a person, the more effort he will make to stay alive.

Literature:

1. D. Bugental. The science of being alive: dialogues between therapists and patients in humanistic therapy. - M.: Independent company “Class”, 2007.

2. K. Simonton, S. Simonton. Psychotherapy of cancer. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001.

3. N. A. Magazanik. The art of communicating with patients. - M.: Medicine, 1991.

4. I.V. Lewandowski. Guide to Preventive Medicine. Recommendations for mental help cancer patients. - M.: Medicine, 1995.

5. N.N. Blinov, I.P. Khomyakov, N.B. Shipovnikov. On the attitude of cancer patients to their diagnosis. // Questions of Oncology. - 1990. - No. 8.

6. N.A. Rusina. Emotions and stress in cancer // World of Psychology. Scientific and methodological journal. - 2002. - No. 4.

7. A.V. Chaklin. Psychological aspects oncology // Issues of oncology - 1992.- No. 7.

The problems of cancer and cancer patients are rarely discussed by healthy people, because why talk about a serious and fatal problem unnecessarily? dangerous disease? Fortunately, healthy people can choose what to talk about. But how to communicate correctly with a person who has cancer, when it is difficult to imagine him? psychological state?

To understand, support and establish adequate communication with a person who has been given such terrible diagnosis, American scientists even created an entire scientific field - oncology psychology, which is actively used in cancer centers in America. According to the standards of this science, a doctor must spend at least 2 hours telling the patient about a dangerous diagnosis. After all, cancer is really very serious illness, and each person needs some time to realize, understand, calm down, and ask about prognosis and treatment methods.

In our country, the standards are completely different, and an oncologist cannot spend more than 15 minutes on a patient during an outpatient appointment. And often doctors have to, as they say, communicate the diagnosis on the run. Moreover, until recently, doctors did not have the right to tell a patient that he had cancer. This tactic of behavior was approved at the state level, so even nurses could not reveal to the patient the truth about his illness. Today, fortunately, there are no such requirements, and the patient has the right to know about the state of his health. But oncology psychology is not yet practiced in our country. And often just relatives or acquaintances act as psychologists. Therefore, if you have alarming suspicions about the diagnosis loved one, it is advisable not to leave him alone and visit the doctor with him. Even just in case. But you can always support your relative at such a turning point in his life, and at the same time calmly discuss with the doctor possible options treatment.

Stages of a patient's response to a terrible diagnosis

Despite the fact that all people are different, in a shock situation we act according to programmed typical reactions to stress. Of course, the stages of response may vary in intensity. But in any case, every patient, having heard the diagnosis of cancer, goes through all the stages of experience described below:

Shock is, as a rule, the first, violent, but short-lived stage. After all, even without perceiving cancer as a death sentence, the patient already imagines life in a completely different light. He may cry, blaming himself for the illness, may wish for a speedy death in an attempt to avoid suffering - this is just a powerful emotional explosion, during which the patient cannot adequately perceive reality. At this stage it is useless to appeal to common sense. And even the absence of a threat to the patient’s life does not always help stop the shock stage. It's better to just wait until the emotions subside.

The denial stage is the stage psychological protection when the patient refuses to acknowledge the disease. He is sincerely confident himself and tries to convince his loved ones that everything is fixable and will soon pass. At this moment, it is not only possible, but also necessary to support the patient, but only until the hour when he begins to deny medical treatment. Many patients at this stage are even ready to refuse medical help, believing that the disease is not so dangerous that it cannot be cured with folk remedies, spells and other magical procedures. In this case, you cannot follow the patient’s lead and you must categorically insist on official treatment. After all, efficiency traditional methods has not been scientifically proven, and there may simply not be enough time for practical testing.

Aggression is one of the most difficult and dangerous stages, requiring great effort on the part of the patient’s family and friends. Being also defensive reaction, aggression can be directed at everyone: at the doctor who overlooked the disease; on loved ones who do not understand his problems; on himself, inattentive to his health, and even on those around him who sent damage and curses upon him. The patient may refuse to cooperate with the doctor who made the diagnosis. The best behavior tactics for the patient’s relatives is not to enter into conflicts, not to provoke or dissuade (even if the patient is clearly mistaken), because at this stage suicide is possible. The optimal model of behavior is distraction - as with children. For example, a child blames the table for hitting him - and you distract the child with birds outside the window. Of course, it is much more difficult to switch the attention of an adult, but it is also possible, most importantly, patiently, calmly and methodically.

Depression is a logical stage of reaction, as a result of the trials endured. IN depressed state the patient becomes apathetic, he is not interested in either treatment or communication with family and friends. Even illusory experiences in the form of contacts with the dead or prophetic dreams. At this stage, the risk of suicide is also high, so relatives should not react harshly to the patient’s apparent indifference. There is no need to insist on communication, nor to accuse him of inattention to the treatment process: “We are doing everything possible and impossible, but you won’t get any gratitude from you!” It is better to act gently but persistently, for example, not to demand dialogue, but not to leave him alone. He needs support, even if he doesn't realize it. It is enough to watch a movie together, listen to music, or just be in the same room, doing completely different things and wait for the patient to want to talk.

Acceptance – final stage response, about amazing properties which is spoken by oncologists who observe all stages of patients’ experiences. By accepting the fact of illness, the patient completely changes his life. He reconciles himself with fate, he is no longer attracted by long-term prospects, he lives here and now. According to patients who have survived this stage, time slows down, every minute of life without fear of death becomes rich and meaningful, filled with an amazing sense of freedom. Acceptance fatal disease The patient’s attitude towards death also changes, and it is no longer a terrible ending, but a natural process planned by nature. At this stage, the main task of family and friends is to support this spiritual growth and positive emotions of the patient, promoting their development. Namely, to introduce him to new music, good films, theatrical performances, going out into nature, communicating with friends - fill every moment of the patient’s life with new impressions and positive emotions.

Correct patient response is the key to successful treatment

The intensity of the reaction of the stages of experience described above depends to a greater or lesser extent on the character of a particular person. After all, there are patients who experience the disease very hard, blaming themselves, loved ones, doctors, and the whole world. But there are also patients who willingly communicate with their doctor, carefully follow all instructions, accept the treatment process as an obligatory necessity and strive for recovery. And even scientists have confirmed that the first category is much more difficult to treat, while the second wins faster and easier dangerous illness. After all, the success of the treatment process depends on the patient’s psychological mood. And the main task of the doctor and the patient’s relatives is to determine his character type in time in order to competently correct possible behavior.

Syntonic patients are an emotionally open and positive-minded type of people who, without special effort can adapt to stressful situation. For such people, cancer is not a death sentence, it is just an important stage in the fight against a tumor, which will certainly end in victory. In almost all cases, a trusting and open relationship is established between the syntonic patient and the doctor, thanks to which recovery is significantly accelerated.

The cyclothymic nature of the patient is characteristic of people with rapidly changing moods, when the phase of active positivity can quickly be followed by apathetic depression. It is difficult to make optimistic forecasts for such patients, but you need to talk to them exclusively about good things. The task of both doctors and relatives is to encourage the patient, trying to equalize his emotional background.

Patients with a schizoid character type are prone to intellectual analysis of their illness, often denying the danger of the disease. Digging into the cause of the disease, they can become isolated, even to the point of autism. Therefore, relatives of a cancer patient of the schizoid type need to help him assess and analyze the situation.

Patients with excitable (epiteptoid) type traits are prone to outbursts of rage and surges of gloomy and irritable mood. They have poor control over their state of passion, therefore, they can conflict with doctors, medical staff and even relatives. You need to communicate with such patients very patiently, without contradicting them or provoking outbursts of aggression. It is advisable to dose out information about the disease.

Patients of the hysteroid type should always be the center of attention. And even their illness is a manifestation of their own exclusivity. These character traits can easily be used for successful treatment, admiring, for example, his resilience and courage towards illness and procedures. And it will really become easier for him, not only mentally, but also physically.

Anxious and suspicious type of patients requires especially careful and attentive attitude, as he is prone to exhaustion, depression and panic. Patients of this type of character absolutely cannot stand the critical and aggressive attitude of others. And if the phrase: “Pull yourself together” will help a syntonic patient to tune in to an optimistic mood, then a patient of an anxious-suspicious type will “drop” even more. And you can distract him from difficult thoughts with the help of a walk, accessible creativity, and exciting leisure time.

The disease is defeated, but the stress remains...

Thanks to the possibilities modern medicine Today, many types of cancer can be successfully treated. But the whole cunning of cancer lies in the fact that having defeated the disease for physical level, the patient can recover psychologically for a long time. Doctors distinguish three types psychological problems problems that people face after successful cancer treatment:

“Damocles syndrome”, when the patient has a feeling of uncertainty about his own health, fueled by the fear of relapse;

"Lazarus syndrome", named after biblical character, whom Jesus raised from the dead, and is manifested by increased concern due to the attention of others. “Will I be able to return to my old life? How will I be perceived in the world of healthy and active people?” — such questions remain relevant long after recovery;

"Residual stress syndrome" appears as constant feeling anxiety that arose during the illness and does not go away after its elimination.

According to the norms of oncopsychology, such consequences are quite common for patients who have survived cancer. And the psychological “scar” will bother the patient for some time, who could use the attention and support of loved ones.

Today, in almost all major cancer centers Clinical psychologists work who are ready to provide psychological assistance not only to the patient before and after treatment, but also to his relatives, explaining the correct line of behavior and explaining how better help to a loved one.