ABSTRACT
As the work outlined in this book demonstrates, the diagnosis and treatment of haematological malignancies can be emotionally, socially, and spiritually challenging for both the patient and their family. The sudden onset of disease, intensive interventions, pain, fear of disfigurement, side effects of treatment, disruptions of usual roles, financial hardship, and the possibility of death associated with haematological malignancies can all add up to a load of enormous stress (Caudell, 1996). Not only do patients face the risk of premature death from treatments such as BMT, they are also exposed to significant risks of physical and psycho-social morbidity (Andrykowski et al., 1995c). Such psycho-social effects can include occupational disability, sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, psychological distress, and low self-esteem. Added to this are the varied physical ‘late effects’ of treatments (Andrykowski et al., 1995c).
