Psychopharmacology in Oncology and Palliative Care

This book will be edited by two members of the WPA with many years’ expertise in the field of psycho-oncology, who are chairs of the WPA Section on Psycho-Oncology and Palliative Care (LG) and the Section on Psychiatry in Medicine (MR). The editors aim to provide an indispensable tool for junior doctors in training in either psychiatry or oncology, general practitioners, community psychiatric nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team. Chapters will be written by experts in the field, ensuring interest for all those working in psycho-oncology, i.e. oncologists, palliative care physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, behavioral scientists, clinicians in surgery, pediatrics, geriatrics and radiotherapy.

Part I: General aspects in psychopharmacological treatment: General principles of psychopharmacological treatment.- Diagnostic issues and strategies in psycho-oncology.- The role of doctor-patient relationship in psychopharmacology.- Integration of psychopharmacotherapy with other psychiatric/psychosocial treatment.- End-of-Life care and psychopharmacology.- Part II: Psychotropic drug use in clinical oncology and palliative care settings: Treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders.- Treatment of depression.- Treatment of insomnia.- Treatment of delirium and confusional states.- Treatment of psychotic disorders.- Treatment of pain.- Part III: Special issues in psychopharmacology: Treatment of psychiatric emergencies.- Psychopharmacology in childhood and adolescence.- Psychopharmacology in the elderly.- Sedation of psychological distress at the end of life.- Research issues in psychopharmacology in oncology and palliative care settings.- Ethics of psychopharmacological and biological treatments in psycho-oncology.

"The book successfully blends the practicalities of prescribing with thoughtful discussions of the challenges beyond psychopharmacology. It is a great reminder for the specialist and a thorough guide for the relative novice looking to build knowledge. It will always be handy to have on the shelf and a really useful resource for supervision with trainees." (Jamie Pick, European Journal of Palliative Care (EJPC), Vol. 22 (3), 2015)

"This book reviews psychiatric care in the context of oncology and palliative care. ... The audience is identified as 'all those working with cancer patients' in eight different specialties. While any healthcare providers working with cancer patients would benefit from this book, psychiatrists, particularly those involved with consult and liaison psychiatry who work with cancer patients with mental healthcare needs, will likely get the most from this book." (Aaron Plattner, Doody's Book Reviews, October, 2014)