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Running Head: EFFECT OF A CANCER PATIENT’S MINDSETExploring the Power of a Cancer Patient’s Mindset and its Effects on RecoveryAnna RennerGlen Allen High SchoolAbstractThis paper looks into the developing medical world of psycho-oncology and the power a cancer patient’s mind has over their recovery from their diagnosis. In addition, this paper covers how health care professionals can aid cancer patients through psycho-oncology strategies. In the twenty-first century, cancer is a medical dilemma at the forefront of many individual’s worries. Far too many in the twenty-first century are effected by cancer in some way either directly or indirectly. While the field of psycho-oncology is a relatively new area of study, results from numerous experiments involving aspects of a cancer patient’s diagnosis and treatment point to findings with statistical significance that a positive mindset has beneficial outcomes for cancer patients. The implications of these results are important to pay attention to because cancer is a modern and relevant problem that still has no definite cure. Many participants in these experiments reported more contented mental states and effective coping strategies in addition to increased longevity following the diagnosis of cancer. While psycho-oncology will not necessarily cure a patient from cancer, it is important to recognize that a cancer patient’s mindset still has significant effects on their medical outcome.IntroductionFor centuries, cancer has crept into the bodies of individuals and taken over leading one’s life down a completely foreign path. From doctors’ appointments to medical treatments to hospital stays, cancer truly uproots its victims lives. With cancers devastating effects and continuation of acting as one of the leading causes of death, it is no wonder that substantial sums of money and time are devoted each year towards finding the cure to cancer. Even with individuals working tirelessly towards a cure, there are still patients diagnosed and patients dying from cancer every day. Obviously, medical professionals cannot stand around and wait for a cure. In the meantime, professionals have begun to look more extensively into other aspects, besides chemo, that may affect a cancer patient’s outcome. Many scientists have looked into whether a cancer patient’s mindset has an effect on the patient. Doctors have always emphasized the importance of keeping a positive attitude throughout treatments, but not until the past few decades have actual research been conducted to test the validity of this idea. In this review, the effect of a cancer patient’s mindset on their recovery is investigated to determine whether health care professionals should invest more time and money into helping cancer patients hold more positive mindsets and thus aid themselves in their battle against cancer.Psycho-OncologyPrior to the 1970s, oncologists typically disclosed very little information to cancer patients regarding their diagnosis because they believed it was better for the patients to be unaware of what their future may entail. The focus was to do everything possible for the patient to survive and live a cancer free future. However, this often times simply provided a hostile environment and a distant relationship between patients and their medical team. In addition, doctors and health care professionals became so narrowly focused that any regard for the quality of life the patient may have during such treatments was forgotten (Holland, 2002). Moreover, for centuries society treated mental illness with very little respect or sympathy. Thus, doctors did not focus on the psychological impact a cancer diagnosis and treatment may have on an individual. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the barrier health care professionals built up between cancer patients and their diagnosis began to tear down and medical professionals looked more closely at the role a cancer patient’s mind has on their treatment and recovery. This became known as psycho-oncology which is the study of the “psychological and social aspects of cancer” (Greer, 1994).Cancer has serious effects on a patient’s mentality. In 1983, a study conducted by Derogatis et al. randomly assessed out-patient and in-patient cancer patients to find the prevalence of psychiatric disorders. The results showed that “68% had adjustment disorders, 13% major effective disorders, 8% organic mental disorders and the remaining 11% suffered from pre-existing psychiatric disorders.” Their final conclusion was that approximately forty-seven percent of cancer patients suffer from a mental illness that develops post cancer diagnosis. Numerous studies repeatedly show the same findings and lead to the same conclusion that “between 23% and 40% of cancer patients suffer from clinically significant anxiety and depression” which develops after the cancer diagnosis (Greer, 1994). With such shocking statistics, the medical field now garners much greater attention to a cancer patient’s psychological state when developing a treatment plan. In order for the patient to be ready for the rough and difficult road ahead of them, their mind must be in a psychological state to accept the fact that their body is failing them temporarily. In this way, cancer patients are then ready to go through all that it takes to defeat cancer.Positive Mindset in HealthcareWith evidence suggesting that cancer can potentially lead a patient’s mind down a path of depression, anxiety, and other serious mental illnesses, it leads many to the question of whether a positive mindset or a negative mindset has an impact on a cancer patient’s battle and recovery from cancer. Numerous studies have been conducted to test whether a positive mindset versus a negative mindset has an impact on cancer patients and the findings show striking benefits towards a positive mindset. Individuals with a positive mindset tend to see “desired outcomes [for the future] as attainable” and therefore put more effort towards reaching that goal (Carver & Scheier, 1993). Cancer is not an easy battle to fight. The pricks, scans, and side effects from chemotherapy and radiation treatments take a major toll on the body. It is not easy to keep a positive mindset without the aid of professionals. Therefore, several therapies as well as counseling are strongly encouraged for cancer patients to help them hold a positive mindset when they are experiencing a very difficult time in their life. The most commonly encouraged therapies and counseling include well-being therapy, quality of life therapy, positive psychotherapy, strengths-based counseling, strengths-centered therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, and therapies to promote posttraumatic growth (Casellas-Grau, Font, & Vives, 2014). Casellas-Grau, Font, and Vives states that oncology patients involved in these practices are more likely to hold a positive mindset.All of these therapies share the aims of positive psychology: developing personal strengths, enhancing positive emotions, well-being, flow, life satisfaction, and personal growth and change, and they have been applied with satisfying results in different contexts, from effective disorders to at-risk youths or chronic diseases, such as different types of cancer (2014).Through these interventions with cancer patients, psychologists and oncologists have taken note that a positive mindset leads to an optimist lifestyle over a pessimistic lifestyle. This in turn leads to the coping mechanism adopted by the patient. The coping mechanism is the root or foundation for the cancer patient’s mindset. “Optimists cope in more adaptive ways” and thus this is what is the goal of therapies and counseling. The goal is to not only guide patients towards a positive mindset but help them cope with the stress of their diagnosis with an optimistic standpoint. Strategies for Psycho-OncologyGroup TherapyThe ultimate goal is to help cancer patient’s help themselves. This can best be achieved through several different strategies such as group therapy, coping mechanisms, patient-health care worker interaction, and hospital environment. The most promising of these strategies is group therapy for several reasons. First, group therapy provides a welcoming environment where cancer patients can relate to one another in the presence of a psychologist. As supportive and comforting family can be in times of a medical crisis, it is hard for them to truly understand how the relative feels with cancer. They are not experiencing the sickening effects of chemotherapy, the pain of getting a port accessed, or the prolonged exhaustion. In addition, group therapy helps cancer patients find more comfort in their diagnosis when they are more educated on the details of their disease. When cancer patients come together, they can learn a lot from each other by learning about other patient’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings.In a study conducted by Kissane et al., the effectiveness of group therapy on early-stage breast cancer patients was tested. The results pointed to numerous positive effects on the patients.Women receiving group therapy were shown to have reduced anxiety and a trend towards improved family functioning compared with controls. The women in the groups reported greater satisfaction with their therapy, appreciating the support and citing better coping, self-growth, and increased knowledge about cancer and its treatment (2004).With such beneficial findings, group therapy for oncology patients is becoming a more common practice with patients. Anything that can help a cancer patient feel even slightly better about their life threatening diagnosis should be done to help them in their fight for their life. However, it is important to note that while group therapy does have striking benefits for maintaining a more positive mindset, “no beneficial effects with respect to survival were demonstrable” (Kissane et al., 2004).A cancer diagnosis is an emotional trigger. The reality that cancer has essentially taken over bodily functions is not easy to accept or have no emotional response to. Often times cancer patients cave into their emotions and bury themselves under the weight of their feelings in response to feeling like they have been given a death sentence. A cancer patient should not be left in such a state to fight cancer. They must be empowered, encouraged, and supported in order to win back their life. The presence of others who completely understand the situation at hand helps put the crippling emotions to rest and replace them with a positive mindset focused on a healthy future. The Conquer Cancer Foundation along with perfectly sum up the idea and importance of support groups for cancer patients.Support group members may also discuss practical information. This may include what to expect during treatment, how to manage pain and other side effects of treatment, and how to communicate with health care providers and family members. Exchanging information and advice may provide a sense of control and reduce feelings of helplessness. Many studies have shown that support groups help people with cancer feel less depressed and anxious. Support groups also help them feel more hopeful and enable them to manage their emotions better (2016).Coping MechanismsA cancer diagnosis is a big pill to swallow. Suddenly one has to rethink their life around a new normal. Obviously with such a sudden drastic change to one’s life, cancer patients have a hard time finding peace and solidarity with the idea that their body is failing them. It leaves one stuck on the question of, “Why me?”, instead of thinking towards how they will defeat the cancer. Cancer patients must find ways to cope with their diagnosis in order to be prepared to do whatever it takes to defeat the cancer. Therefore, oncologists and psychologists have proven the effectiveness of coping mechanisms for cancer patients through psychosocial treatments. Bloom, Gottheil, Kraemer, and Spiegel state that oncology patients involved in these practices have shown positive outcomes from establishing coping mechanisms.Deliberate and effortful coping and the scanning of coping options before quickly responding have been shown to be associated with a number of health-promoting outcomes, including making more effective medical decisions and better adjustment in cancer patients (1989).Through effective coping strategies patients are able to take on their diagnosis head on because they aren’t fighting the thought of their body not working right. Rather they accept the reality of the situation and move on to getting better.Psychologists have found that cancer patients will fall into one of two categories when they initially approach the coping mechanism idea prior to any help or guidance. Some cancer patients will take on an optimistic coping mechanism while others will take on a pessimistic coping mechanism. Patients with optimistic mindsets have shown to live longer lives post diagnosis and faster recovery rates from cancer (Carver & Scheier, 1993). While it is important to note that an optimistic mindset it much more promising than a pessimistic mindset for cancer patients, one must first fully understand the difference between optimism and pessimism.Optimists see a promising future that is achievable and have a positive outlook on their unknown future ahead of them. Even if the road ahead is difficult mentally and/or physically and require a lot from them, optimists have a desired outcome for their future and will stay focused on achieving that outcome. On the other hand, pessimists have desired outcomes for their future but they will shy away from putting effort into achieving this outcome if they have even the slightest inkling that their future goal is unachievable or too difficult to pursue. Pessimists tend to withdrawal and separate themselves from the situation thus furthering them from achieving the goal of defeating the cancer and attaining the status of “in remission” from cancer. Essentially optimists will hold a fighting spirit throughout the treatment while pessimists will give up (Carver & Scheier, 1993).Hospital EnvironmentWhen it comes to factors that have an effect on a patient’s mindset, often times the impact of the hospital environment is unfortunately forgotten. In reality, “the quality of the design of physical environments can affect patient medical outcomes and care quality” (Ulrich, 2001) thus an important aspect to a cancer patient’s battle for their life is being completely forgotten and overlooked. In addition, the impacts of the hospital environment are a relatively new finding with influential research only coming out over the past two decades leaving only new hospitals with the greatest opportunity to manipulate hospitals environment to best suit the patients. In decades past, architects and hospital owners designed hospitals with much different, yet still important, priorities. “The emphasis on functional efficiency, together with the pathogenic conception of disease and health, has often produced healthcare facilities with environments now considered starkly institutional, stressful, and detrimental to care quality” (Ulrich, 2001). Research began in 1972 with Wilson and Keep, James, and Inman in 1980 which laid the ground work for a realignment of priorities for the environment. They found that “sensory deprivation in health facilities, for instance, lack of windows is associated with high levels of anxiety and depression, and with high ratios of delirium and even psychosis.” As new hospitals are being built in the twenty-first century, there is still a focus on efficiency because at the end of the day a hospital is a business but there is now a large focus on providing a welcoming and homelike environment for patients to feel comfortable in. Several aspects of the hospital environment can be altered to best help cancer patients. First, it is important to foster surroundings that supply positive stimuli for patients because positive stimuli correlate with higher well-being among patients (). The environment outside the hospital generally provides this positive stimulus and can best be achieved through an abundance of windows throughout the hospital and in patient rooms. Thus, the patients feel a sense of connection to the outside world. “Two studies of female cancer patients have shown that taking a virtual reality nature walk while in bed or a hospital room (through a forest with bird sounds) reduced anxiety and symptomatic distress” (Schneider, S. M., Prince-Paul, Allen, Silverman, & Talaba, 2004). In addition, new hospitals are being built in ways that reduce the noise-levels and provide a quieter more calming environment for patients. This helps patients achieve lower stress levels and focus on their recovery. Dealing with a serious medical diagnosis comes with a large amount of stress as it is so everything possible should be done to not add to this stress. In addition, with reduced noise, patients can sleep better without being awaken by noises in the halls. At least eight hours of sleep a night is important to anyone in achieving a healthy mind, body, and life but sleep is fundamentally important for cancer patients. “Sleep and the circadian system exert a strong regulatory influence on immune functions” and thus a cancer patient’s body’s ability to defeat the cancer (Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Born, J., 2012). Hospitals are essentially hurting cancer patients by not providing a quiet environment for them to reside in. As new hospitals are built there are several goals attempting to be achieved in new hospitals to help with noise levels. This includes providing single-bed rooms, installing high-performance sound-absorbing ceilings, and eliminating noise sources by using equipment such as noiseless paging (Choudhary et al., 2004). Through alterations to hospital designs, cancer patients in the future will have more factors working in their favor that they cannot control.ConclusionThis review looked into psycho-oncology, what it is, and this developing field of medicine history. Using a variety of different research methods and experiments involving oncology patients, much evidence is found that cancer patients suffer greatly from mental illnesses developed during their treatment. In addition, various sources point out the power of a positive mindset for cancer patients and how positivity may be severely limited when cancer patients suffer with a mental illness and have no therapy or counseling to help them through the process. In order to achieve this positive mindset, hospitals, health care professionals, and patients can become more aware of several strategies to help with achieving a positive mindset. The subject of this research paper is relevant and important to most individuals because cancer can creep into anyone’s life and have a drastic impact on how they live their life. Ultimately, the mind does have an effect on a cancer patient’s recovery and health care professionals should help guide oncology patients into utilizing their mindset to aid them in their battle for their life.Reference ListBesedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Born, J. (2012). Sleep and immune function.?Pflügers Archiv-European Journal of Physiology. Retrieved from‐Grau, A., Font, A., & Vives, J. (2014). Positive psychology interventions in breast cancer. A systematic review.?Psycho‐Oncology. Retrieved from , L. R., Morrow, G. R., Fetting, J., Penman, D., Piasetsky, S., Schmale, A. M., ... & Carnicke, C. L. (1983). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among cancer patients.?Jama. Retrieved from , S. (1994).?Psycho-oncology: its aims, achievements and future tasks. Psycho‐Oncology. Retrieved from , J. C. (2002). History of psycho-oncology: overcoming attitudinal and conceptual barriers.?Psychosomatic Medicine. Retrieved from , R., Joseph, A., Ulrich, R., Xiaobo, Q., Zimring, C. (2004). Role of the Physical Environment in the Hospital of the 21st Century. The Center for Health Design. Retrieved from , P. J., James, J., and Inman, M. (1980). “Windows in the Intensive Therapy Unit,” Anesthesia. Retrieved from, D. W., Love, A., Hatton, A., Bloch, S., Smith, G., Clarke, D. M., ... & Snyder, R. D. (2004). Effect of?cognitive-existential group therapy on survival in early-stage breast cancer.?Journal of Clinical Oncology. Retrieved from Jr, D. F. (1999). Empowering the patient: Hypnosis in the management of cancer, surgical disease?and chronic pain.?American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.?Retrieved from? , T. J., & Mark, M. M. (1995).?Effects of psychosocial interventions with adult cancer patients: a meta-analysis of randomized experiments.?Retrieved from , M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1993). On the power of positive thinking: The benefits of being optimistic.?Current Directions in Psychological Science. Retrieved from , S. M., Prince-Paul, M., Allen, M. J., Silverman, P., & Talaba, D. (2004). Virtual reality as a distraction intervention for women receiving chemotherapy.?Oncology Nursing Forum. Retrieved from (2016). Support Groups. Coping with Cancer. Retrieved from , R. S. (2001). Effects of healthcare environmental design on medical outcomes. In?Design and Health: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Health and Design. Stockholm, Sweden: Svensk Byggtjanst. Retrieved from , L. M. (1972). “Intensive Care Delirium: The Effect of Outside Deprivation in a Windowless Unit,” Archives of Internal Medicine. Retrieved from ................
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