Palliative care in severe mental disorders: a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Palliative Care
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Palliative care (PC) enhances quality of life for patients and families.
• Palliative psychiatry (PP) applies PC principles to severe mental disorders.
• This study reviews PC applicability in severe mental disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review on palliative care in severe mental disorders.
• To synthesize current research on palliative psychiatry.
• To identify gaps in the literature regarding PC for psychiatric conditions.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of 17 records from nine databases.
• Articles selected without time or language restrictions.
• Data synthesized using descriptive and content analysis.

Main Results:

• Three main themes emerged: general aspects of PP, critical reflections on care application, and strategies used.
• Thematic analysis revealed key areas within palliative psychiatry.
• Studies covered eight psychiatric diagnostic groups across eight countries.

Conclusions:

• Literature on palliative psychiatry is scarce, indicating a neglect of this care area.
• There's a significant need for more empirical research in palliative psychiatry.
• Future research should incorporate patient and family narratives and evaluations.