Eisemann Martin: ’Psychosocial aspects of depressive disor­ ders’. From the Department of Psychiatry, Umeå University,

BACKGROUND: Relief of suffering is a central goal for palliative care. Achievement of this goal can be difficult, however, due to the complex nature of suffering. METHODS: A psychosocial perspective is used to understand suffering and to identify interventions to relieve suffering in patients with advanced disease. RESULTS: Clinical experience and research suggest that attending to the psychoso...

BACKGROUND Lung cancer is one of the commonest cancers in the industrialised world, and persons with this grave disease must deal not only with the physical effects but also with the psychosocial aspects. METHODS This review is based on an examination of intervention, prospective and case-control studies with more than 50 participants published between 1966 and 2003. RESULTS The studies sho...

The psychosocial morbidity associated with HIV infection and responses to such infection may exceed morbidity associated with medical sequelae of such infection. This paper argues that negative judgements on those with HIV infection or in groups associated with such infection will cause avoidable psychological and social distress. Moral judgements made regarding HIV infection may also harm the ...

Louise Brown was born thirty years ago as the world’s first “test-tube” baby. Numerous speculations and concerns were linked to this event, some of them related to the psychosocial aspects of infertility and of assisted reproduction.The last few years have brought huge advances in the understanding of the psychosocial aspects of infertility. This review begins with a presentation of the importa...

Gesondheidsprofessioneles moet aandag gee aan die lewensbelangrike rol wat sielkundige kwessies in die oorlewing van die persoon met borskanker speel. Dit is belangrik om te onthou dat wat so hoogdrawend “ sielkundige aspekte” genoem word, op stuk van sake niks anders is as eensaamheid nie, ’n gevoel van verwerping, ’n bekommerde gees, vrees, die stryd ten opsigte van ekonomiese druk en huislik...