Psychological Problems among Patients Suffering from Leukemia

Abstract

L eukemia is a type of cancer that found in blood and bone marrow and is caused by the rapid production of abnormal white blood cells. These abnormal white blood cells are not able to fight infection and impair the ability of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells and platelets. Most cancer patients may suffer from psychological problems in varying degrees. Psychological distress may be part of a reaction to the cancer diagnosis, but in many patients, it will persist, causing an added burden during treatment and leading to more difficulty with general management and symptoms control, increased length of hospital, and decreased compliance with treatment. Anxiety and depression are significantly increasing in the first month after the patient is being diagnosed, as a result of the negative meaning of the word cancer/leukemia, but their intensity is decreasing afterwards, due to the control given by the information received by the patients about the disease. Significance of the study: Leukemia produces significant change and consequently stress because the patients with leukemia and his family must deal with a change of customary life style. The impact of the leukemia on the patients is affected by the age of onset, age, gender, type and duration of illness, family