Elective Course Description
The assessment of psychological symptoms and the diagnosis and management of common psychiatric syndromes seen in children and adolescents with cancer will be taught to students in the context of patients and families seen by the child psychiatry staff in the pediatric oncology setting. The student will be given familiarity with liaison issues, a continuity consultation model, and problems of pediatric oncology staff in dealing with children who have cancer and their families. Basic theories of child and adolescent psychiatry, family systems work, and consultation liaison psychiatry will be reviewed accompanied by hands-on exposure to and study of inpatient and outpatient pediatric oncology as a social system.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize when a referral to psychiatry/psychology is needed for pediatric patients and their families in the pediatric oncologic setting.
- Recognize and differentiate pain, anxiety, and delirium in children of all ages and developmental stages.
- Develop an accurate, descriptive mental status exam on children of all ages with cancer.
- Obtain a complete and reliable psycho-oncologic history.
Suggested Literature
- Kearney JA, Bartell A, Pao M (2015) Diagnosis and Treatment of Psychiatric Issues in Pediatric Psycho-Oncology, in A. Abrams, A. Muriel, L. Weiner, (Eds.), Psychosocial Pediatric Psycho-oncology: Textbook for Multidisciplinary Care. Springer International Publishing. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-21374-3
- Wiener L1, Zadeh S, Wexler LH, Pao M. When silence is not golden: Engaging adolescents and young adults in discussions around end-of-life care choices. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2013 May;60(5):715-8. doi:10.1002/pbc.24490. Epub 2013 Mar 11.
- Wiener L1, Kazak AE2, Noll RB3, Patenaude AF4, Kupst MJ Standards for the Psychosocial Care of Children With Cancer and Their Families: An Introduction to the Special Issue. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2015 Dec;62 Suppl 5:S419-24. doi: 10.1002/pbc.25675. Epub 2015 Sep 23
- Kearney JA, Salley CG, Muriel AC. Psychosocial Support for Parents of Children with Cancer as a Standard of Care in Pediatric Oncology. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2015 Dec;62 Suppl 5:S632-83. doi: 10.1002/pbc.25761.
- Bates A, Kearney J. Understanding death with limited experience in life: dying children’s and adolescents’ understanding of their own terminal illness and death. Current Opinion in Supportive & Palliative Care. 2015 Mar;9(1):40-5.
