[Therapy helps -- psychosocial support for patients diagnosed with breast cancer, reducing anxiety and depression]

The results of epidemiological researches are alarming. It is anticipated that in the next few decades the number of patients suffering from malignant tumours will double. Caring for patients with cancer sets a serious challenge to the health services - not only to the oncology specialists, but among the others also to the psychiatrists and the psychologists. The diagnosis of cancer commonly pushes the patient into a depressed, hopeless and anxious emotional state that can persist for years after the diagnosis causing serious damage - a decline in the health-related quality of life, it narrows life opportunities, it makes coping and cooperating more difficult, and it predicts the progression of the disease and mortality. Treating these is crucial. Results published in related literature prove the positive effects of psychosocial interventions (a wide range of psychological and psychosocial support of the patients) on emotional distress. The most commonly applied interventions are the supportive-expressive therapies and cognitive methods. Recently a new trend started unfolding where the patients, as their complementary care instead of having single interventions they are offered complex programmes - psychotherapy, exercise, diet, education, etc. are all applied together, amplifying the synergic effects of the components. Our research is aimed to assess the results of a complex programme in decreasing emotional distress in women diagnosed with primer breast cancer (n=173, experimental group n=86, of whom 34 participated the programme, control group n=87) short term (at the end of the 15 week long programme) and longitudinally (15 months after the end of programme). The results are very promising: there were significant improvements in patients, a decrease in depression (Beck), as well as in anxiety (STAI), and some aspects of positive effects showed long-lasting.