| Abstract: |
(from the chapter) The detrimental impact of depression and hopelessness near the end of life has become increasingly recognized by mental health clinicians working in palliative care settings. Although countless techniques to recognize depression and hopelessness have been developed over the past several decades, few of these approaches have been applied to terminally ill populations. Indeed, the nature of hopelessness and symptoms of depression may differ for patients confronting death and plagued by severe physical symptoms, necessitating a modified approach to differentiate patients who need mental health intervention from those who are adequately coping with the dying process. Moreover, a growing number of clinical interventions have been proposed to help foster and maintain a sense of hope as death approaches, and these interventions hold considerable promise for palliative care settings. Yet despite this growing interest and empirical research, many gaps exist between the theoretical models that have been proposed and the empirical validation necessary before clear conclusions can be drawn. It is hoped that the growing interest and enthusiasm of mental health professionals working in palliative care settings will continue to facilitate these important goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). |
