Cancer Patient's Guide to Overcoming Depression & Anxiety

Description

Modern medicine has developed solutions that allow cancer patients to live longer lives, but depression and anxiety often make these years painful and difficult. This book develops the techniques of behaviour activation therapy into practical activities people recovering from cancer can use to recognize and overcome problems with depression and anxiety. Relieved from these two sources of emotional pain and limitation, readers of this book will be able to live life fully and apply their energy to the task of getting better. The concept of behaviour activation is deceptively simple: By reconnecting with naturally occurring sources of pleasure-in other words, by engaging in activities they already know they enjoy doing-individuals are able literally to replace feelings of depression and anxiety with feelings of accomplishment and contentedness.Successes build on one another, creating a model for ever more positive feelings in the future. This key to success, though, is to keep focusing on engaging in enjoyable behaviours without getting bogged down by pain, frustration, and worry. Keeping on track is easy with the step-by-step approach offered in the book.

Derek R. Hopko, Ph.D., is associate professor and associate department head in the Department of Psychology at The University of Tennessee. He graduated from West Virginia University and completed his residency and post-doctoral training at the University of Texas Medical School. His research and clinical interests focus on the behavioral assessment and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. Hopko has strong interests in health psychology and conducts behavioral treatment outcome research with cancer patients diagnosed with clinical depression. He is a recipient of grant funding from both the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Cancer Institute, has authored some sixty peer-reviewed publications, and serves on the editorial board of five journals.Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D., is associate professor in the Department of Psychology and founding director of the Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research (CAPER) at the University of Maryland. He graduated from West Virginia University and completed his clinical internship at Brown Medical School. Lejuez's current clinical and research interests focus on the treatment of mood and addictive disorders. He has published more than ninety-five articles and book chapters, served as principal investigator for more than ten grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, and has received Young Investigator Awards from the American Psychological Association Division of Experimental Psychology.

"A Cancer Patient's Guide to Overcoming Depression and Anxiety "is an excellent reference for patients, students, and clinicians alike. It provides a readable overall style and flow and captures practically relevant information that is informed by cutting-edge work in the field. Hopko and Lejuez have provided a much-needed resource to patients and scholars alike with this important and timely book. --Michael J. Zvolensky, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of Vermont