Supporting medicine that treats the whole patient“We want patients and physicians to understand that the emotional issues associated with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer are just as important to the patient’s overall health and recovery as the physical issues.” Michelle Riba, M.D. |
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Physicians don’t always have time to talk to patients about the emotional issues surrounding cancer and patients aren’t always comfortable asking for help. So problems with depression, anxiety and insomnia can be overlooked or ignored. Michelle Riba, a psychiatrist who specializes in the emotional aspects of chronic disease, knew there was a better way. She established a psychiatric clinic inside the U-M Cancer Center and helped develop a screening tool for physicians to identify patients who needed help. Riba says cancer affects people in different ways and at different times. For some, emotional distress is most severe after diagnosis, while others have more trouble adjusting to life after treatment. But for all patients and families, acknowledging and treating emotional issues can improve the quality of life after cancer.