AN OVARIAN-CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

PURPOSE: Because of the low rate of cure and high rate of relapse, the disease course of ovarian cancer can be emotionally devastating. Usin g psychological interventions to support patients emotionally and to e nhance their quality of life should therefore be considered an importa nt complement to medical care. OVERVIEW: The authors describe a suppor t group for patients with ovarian cancer, which was conducted over a 2 -year period. The group consisted of patients with poor prognoses whos e experience ranged From initial medical treatment, remission, and rel apse to the dying experience. Key themes that arose during the session s are identified, and differences between psychotherapy groups and sup port groups are highlighted. In contrast to psychotherapy groups, exis tential issues stood out as the most important therapeutic factor in t his support group. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Because it is widely acknowl edged that support groups have unique value in the total care of Women with ovarian cancer, this description of issues related to group proc ess hopefully will assist others who may plan to offer this type of ps ychological intervention for patients. With increasing technology and the resulting extension of life for patients with ovarian cancer, supp ort groups like this may become an important aspect of care to enhance quality of life. The multidisciplinary team, including psychiatry, so cial work, nursing, and chaplaincy, is essential in expanding support groups in healthcare settings.