Bangalore’s
cancer victims lack emotional support
Psycho-oncology, a new
field which creates specialists to counsel cancer patients and their family, is
facing teething troubles in the city. Bangalore is home to the Centre of
Psycho-oncology for Education and Research (COPER), one of the few dedicated centres
in the country which offer training in psycho-oncology. Though set up in 2006,
it has managed to train only about 12 psycho-oncologists since it began.
Many cancer patients
undergo severe mental stress brought about by depression, irritableness, concerns
about changes to the body, and pain. This affects their family members too.
Psycho-oncology came into being from the realisation that oncologists (cancer
specialists) may need support from caregivers who can offer emotional support
for patients and their families. COPER is funded by the Union Department of
Science and Technology, and is associated with the city's National Institute of
Advanced Studies (NIAS). It was started following recommendations from doctors
and patients of several cancer hospitals across the country.
Abroad, the
Psycho-oncology departments of hospitals are staffed by both trained
psychiatrists (medical doctors) as well as psychologists (students of
psychology, a social science). COPER has six courses on offer, from the
one-month Observership to the 18-month Post-Doctoral programme, all of which
are open to non-medical graduates and postgraduates. Medical graduates can
apply for the six-month Fellowship programme. Despite this, there are less than
five trained psycho-oncologists in the city, out of the 20 in all of India. As
of now, many vacant posts of psycho-oncologists are replaced by support groups.
So there are opportunities for trained psycho-oncologists.
Brindha Sitaram, Secretary
and Director of COPER, said, "Psychological counselling for cancer
patients is not like other forms of counselling. Mental problems could be
because of several reasons varying from biochemical to metastatic. Sometimes
the tumour may cause reactions leading to changes in the brain. Many times,
chemotherapy may affect the quality of life."
Anna Abraham, a clinical
psychologist with the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, has been working
in the field for about 20 years. "It is very important to have an
organised training in psycho-oncology. When we started, we had to study from
literature and other sources to understand the psyche of cancer patients and
their family members," she said.
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