Adolescents and cancer: discrepancy between untroubled appearance and insight disturbance

Abstract

The care of adolescents suffering from high risk disease is a demanding challenge. At times, adolescents may well be too old for the pediatrician and Pediatric Units, and yet too young for the adult practitioner. A dedicated approach that builds on the insight deriving from special attention to, and reflection on the adolescent patient's true desire to share feelings is pivotal to the efforts that must be made to improve the perceived quality of life. The specific age class of adolescence is the focus of few papers, and we feel that a broader discussion of the subject would be useful. In our short article we report the pieces written by three very positive-minded girls suffering from cancer for the journal of our Department. They show deep and severe insight disturbance.