Psychodynamic Psychiatry for Patients with Cancer: Survivorship

The psychodynamic treatment approach for patients newly diagnosed with cancer provides a uniquely effective model for understanding the onset of psychiatric symptoms and planning a psychotherapeutic intervention. The words "you have cancer" often disrupt the patient's usual customary defenses and can result in the onset of psychiatric symptoms. The psychiatric symptoms will depend on the patient's usual defenses, past history, and characteristic style of relating to others. Multiple case examples of the cancer patient's journey from diagnosis to survivorship will be offered in this article to demonstrate the value of including a psychodynamic point of view in any treatment of cancer patients. This article will concern itself with patients who achieve survivorship.