This book guides clinicians in facilitating the improved treatment of emotional distress in cancer patients through psychopharmacologic intervention. It is designed for both prescribing and non-prescribing clinicians in psychosocial oncology, psychiatry, psychology, oncology, and palliative care.

"Clinicians who care for adult cancer patients have many tools to manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, cognitive changes, insomnia and fatigue. Non-prescribing clinicians, such as psychologists, nurses, social workers, and occupational and physical therapists provide frontline psychosocial interventions and physical support for cancer patients. Psychotropic treatments are sometimes required to resolve complex syndromes which mingle both medical and psychiatric features. Psychiatric medications are most frequently prescribed to cancer patients by oncologists, general medical practitioners, general psychiatrists, and psychiatric advanced practice providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as few oncology practices have dedicated psycho-oncologists. Non-prescribing practitioners who care for people with cancer are often the first to identify a psychiatric syndrome that requires a referral for psychopharmacologic intervention. They can also play an important role in educating patients about how psychopharmacologic agents can augment their cancer care. After psychotropic medications are started, non-prescribers can observe for improvement, and detect problematic side effects if they arise, thus improving adherence with medication regimens. Practitioners who read this book will benefit from the highlighted clinical pearls to follow, and the potholes to avoid, regarding the tricky diagnostics and pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric syndromes. All clinicians will learn communication strategies that bridge distances of professional specialty and geography, so treatment by multiple providers may be more seamless, which hopefully will enrich outcomes, both medical and emotional"--

This practical manual presents the main drugs and protocols currently used in the psychopharmacological treatment of psychiatric disorders in cancer and palliative care settings and explores the principal issues involved in such treatment. Significant clinical challenges encountered in the psychopharmacological management of various psychiatric conditions are discussed, covering aspects such as side-effects and drug-drug interactions. Attention is also paid to the emerging theme of adjuvant use of psychotropic drugs for the treatment of symptoms or syndromes not primarily related to psychiatric disorders. In addition, practical suggestions are provided for dealing with special populations, including children and the elderly. The book is designed to be easy to read and to reference, with helpful concise tables and boxes. The authors include some of the most renowned clinicians working in the field of psycho-oncology.

Use of psychotropic drugs has come to dominate clinical practice in psychiatry worldwide—perhaps owing largely to perceived simplicity, ease of use, and apparent efficiency, as well as apparent cost-effectiveness of such treatments. Nevertheless, medicinal treatments for patients with psychiatric disorders are but one component of comprehensive clinical care of complex human problems. Extensively updated since its second edition in 1985, Chemotherapy in Psychiatry, Third Edition, again addresses basic aspects of modern psychopharmacology and clinical applications of drugs used in the treatment of major psychiatric disorders, with major emphasis on psychotic, bipolar, and depressive disorders. The presentation covers descriptions of the main classes of psychotropic drugs, selected information concerning their known action mechanisms and metabolic disposition, and their clinical applications for acute illnesses and to prevent recurrences and long-term morbidity. Also covered are limitations and adverse effects of each type of agent, with emphasis on the fact that all psychotropic medicines have adverse effects that range from annoying to potentially lethal. Chemotherapy in Psychiatry, Third Edition, outlines the need to balance benefits and risks at the level of individual persons. Authoritative, and an important contribution to the literature, Chemotherapy in Psychiatry, Third Edition is an invaluable resource for physicians, scientists, trainees, and policymakers.

Management of Clinical Depression and Anxiety provides a brief set of clinical guidelines for handling clinical depression and anxiety in cancer patients. Using a practical toolkit format, this volume covers a variety of topics including: assessment methods, treatment methods, psychiatric emergencies and disorders, policies, service and ethical issues, confidentiality, and communication issues. Self-assessment quizzes round out each chapter, and the volume concludes with an appendix of patient screening tools. Part of the Psycho-oncology Care: Companion Guides for Clinicians series, this highly readable, concise pocket guide is an ideal resource for oncology clinicians and mental health professionals training in psycho-oncology to use as a quick reference in everyday practice.

This book addresses the unmet needs of the medical community in dealing with the psychological problems, particularly anxiety and depression, of patients diagnosed with cancer. Providing a scholarly review of the impact of cancer diagnosis on patients’ emotional and psychological status, as well as the evidence that psychological factors impact cancer occurrence and biological behavior, this book explores the therapeutic implications of such converse dynamics. Chapters review financial toxicity, eHealth, palliative care, mindfulness, sleep and cancer, social support and cancer, cultural diversity, pediatric and adolescent oncology, and geriatric oncology. While intended primarily for the professional readership of oncologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and palliative care physicians, a final chapter also provides practical information on available resources for patients. This fully updated and expanded new edition of Psychological Aspects of Cancer: A Guide to Emotional and Psychological Consequences of Cancer, Their Causes, and Their Management provides practitioners with cutting edge knowledge as well as practical information that translates into better care for patients with cancer.

Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP) for advanced cancer patients is a highly effective intervention for advanced cancer patients, developed and tested in randomized controlled trials by Breitbart and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This treatment manual for group therapy provides clinicians in the oncology and palliative care settings a highly effective, brief, structured intervention shown to be effective in helping patients sustain meaning, hope and quality of life.