Psychological support and psycho-social relief for women suffering from breast cancer

The overall objective of this review is to emphasize the importance of providing counseling and support to women suffering from breast cancer and to demonstrate the development and achievements of psycho-oncology. Psycho-oncology is a multidisciplinary scientific discipline focused on clinical evaluation of psychological reactions in patients with malignant disease and the reactions of their family members, as well as on finding the most appropriate psychological counseling and psychotherapeutic interventions and models of work, aimed at providing psychological and psychotherapeutic help for both the patient and his/her family in all phases of complex oncology treatment. Specific goals are targeted at pointing to various psychological problems women with breast cancer are facing, highlighting the importance of adequate psychological evaluation of women with breast cancer at different stages of the disease and treatment, and, finally, emphasizing the importance of psycho-social relief, psychological support and psychotherapy in all stages of treatment, with the attempt of conceptual delimitation of these terms.