The Psychology of the Physically Ill Patient: A Clinician's Guide

by M.E. Backman

Overview

The intent of this book is to examine the psychological and social worlds of physically ill patients-an area that particularly needs attention today, since the great advances in medical science have caused many to minimize patients' emotional concerns. However, the pendulum has begun to swing back to the interrelationship of body and mind. Quality of life is again becoming a critical consideration in treatment. In writing the book I have drawn upon my own clinical experiences as a psychologist working with the physically ill. I have also drawn upon studies of the psychological factors in medical illness, and I was pleased to find a growing body of research. Although the book is primarily directed to psy­ chotherapists, it will benefit anyone involved in the care of those with medical problems, such as family and friends, as well as medical professionals. vii Acknowledgments I would particularly like to thank Redjeb Jordania for his endless patience, support, and encouragement from the very beginning of this project, and for his valuable suggestions and editorial comments along the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306430510
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	01/31/1989
Edition description:	1989
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.36(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction: Psychotherapy: An Adjunct to Medical Treatment.- I. Understanding the Physically Ill Patient.- 1. Psychosocial Issues and Medical Illness.- 2. Challenges to the Self.- 3. The Interpersonal Dimension.- 4. Developmental Stages and Illness.- II. Treating the Physically Ill Patient.- 5. Psychodynamic Issues.- 6. Personality and Physical Illness.- 7. Sex and Sexuality.- 8. Suicide.- 9. Facing Death.- 10. Facing Life.- III. Practical and Philosophical Considerations: The Therapist’s Role.- 11. Interpersonal/Professional Concerns.- 12. Knowing and Not Knowing.- 13. Implications of the Therapist’s Own Health.- IV. Psychological Interventions: Empirical and Theoretical Approaches.- 14. Psychodynamic and Supportive Psychotherapy.- 15. Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.- 16. Group Therapy.- 17. Family Therapy.- 18. Research Methodology: A Critique.- V. Case Studies of Specific Illnesses: Psychodynamic Issues.- Case 1. From the Diary of a Thirteen-Year-Old (Asthma).- Case 2. Reemergence of the Repressed (Postpolio).- Case 3. The Lonely Road (Prostate Cancer).- Case 4. Anna’s Dreams (Breast Cancer).- Case 5. The Altered Face (Facial Disfigurement).- Case 6. The Devil Inside (Seizure Disorder).- Case 7. Like a Leper (Venereal Disease).- References.