Psychopharmacology In Cancer Care PDF Download

"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"--