Doris Penman

TL;DR: Two hundred fifteen randomly accessed cancer patients who were new admissions to three collaborating cancer centers were examined for the presence of formal psychiatric disorder, and the large majority of conditions were judged to represent highly treatable disorders.

TL;DR: The use of clearly defined criteria for diagnosis of depression in cancer patients provides a basis for the study and implementation of specific therapeutic interventions.

TL;DR: Patients and physicians studied for their perceptions of the consent procedure for chemotherapy by one of 65 investigational protocols believed therapeutic benefits would exceed potential problems for most patients and viewed patients as less than eager for details of treatment, a third as avoiding the seriousness of the discussion, and a second as passive in decision-making.

TL;DR: Analysis of prescription rationales revealed that 44% of the psychotropic prescriptions were written for sleep, while 25% were given for nausea and vomiting; approximately 17% were attributed to psychological distress, and 12% were associated with diagnostic medical procedures.

TL;DR: Patients and parents evaluated the BMT consultation and consent document favorably, were motivated by their trust in the physician and their belief in BMT as a cure, retained information regarding major points of informed consent from both the consent document and physician discussion, and had considerable difficulty with recall of the specific toxic side effects associated with BMT.