Psychiatric aspects of bone marrow transplantation: a review and current issues

BMT represents a major medical advance and offers to most individuals who undergo this procedure the only hope for long term survival. The current psychiatric literature is anecdotal and mostly restricted to discussion of psychiatric issues related to the BMT hospitalization itself. There is substantial agreement about the important psychiatric issues concerning BMT recipients, their families, and the BMT team. However, many post-BMT hospitalization psychiatric and psychosocial issues need attention: the psychological impact of being a BM donor, the consequences of BMT for donor-recipient relationships, the long-term family consequences of BMT, and the long-term cognitive, neuroendocrine, sexual/reproductive, and psychosocial status of BMT survivors. Hopefully, these issues will be increasingly rigorously and effectively addressed in the near future, so that effective psychiatric and psychosocial interventions can be developed which maximize the psychosocial outcome of those affected by BMT.