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Psychiatry and terminal illness
1Division of Palliative Care, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. chochin@cc.umanitoba.ca
Objective:
To provide an overview of the palliative care literature salient to the psychiatric aspect of end-of-life care.
Method:
A literature review was conducted, targeting primarily empirical studies that addressed the following topics: 1) psychological issues pertaining to life-threatening conditions; 2) family issues in the context of palliative care; 3) psychological issues and challenges faced by end-of-life health care providers; and 4) psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, and organic mental disorders, in people with terminal illness.
Results:
There is a small but emerging literature that can guide psychiatrists in their role of providing care to dying patients.
Conclusions:
While psychiatry has made tremendous inroads toward providing care to patients throughout the life cycle, its presence is only just beginning to be felt in end-of-life care. Within the domain of palliative care, psychiatry has an expanded and important role to play.