Breast Cancer and Its Impact on Individual Personality Through a Dimensional Perspective: A Literature Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews how breast cancer affects personality and mental health, emphasizing the need for holistic treatment.

Contribution

The paper highlights the dimensional impact of breast cancer on mental health, advocating for expanded clinical approaches.

Findings

Breast cancer is linked to psychiatric manifestations like mood and anxiety disorders.

Psychological processes can influence the progression and prognosis of breast cancer.

Treatment should focus on improving both physical and mental quality of life for patients.

Abstract

Psychiatric pathology stands out in contemporary society not only as independent but also through its association with other medical comorbidities such as neoplastic diseases. Specialized literature confirms over time the coexistence of these diseases. There is a tendency to develop various psychiatric manifestations such as mood disorders and somatoform disorders, as well as decompensation of underlying existing psychiatric pathologies (anxiety disorders and psychotic disorders) or personality disorders (a good example is the exacerbation of anxiety in obsessive-compulsive personality disorder). Breast cancer, like any disabling disease, affects the person's psyche and behaviors as a whole. It is scientifically proven that mental balance influences the quality of life of patients and also the evolution and prognosis of the disease, psychological processes being able to modulate the activity of the tumor process. It is necessary to expand clinical practice and research beyond the simple evaluation of symptoms, and the goal of treatment should not only be to reduce symptoms but also to improve in terms of both physically and mentally the quality of life of cancer patients.

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