[Psychopharmacology and psychotherapy in pediatric oncology. Update and perspectives of integration]

Abstract

In recent decades, integrated multidisciplinary treatments have greatly improved the prognosis of oncological diseases of childhood. The psychological suffering of children and adolescents with these conditions is generally dealt with interventions of clinical psychology and psychotherapy. However, remain clinical situations that require psychopharmacological interventions beside, or alternatively, to the psychological. Criteria for psychopharmacological intervention in this context are poorly defined. This paper shows a review of international literature from 1980 to present and considerations on the perspectives for the integration of clinical psychological and psychopharmacological interventions. The specific issues relating to the psychopathological diagnosis in the course of organic disease are discussed and aspects of behavior determined by biological mechanisms directly related to the disease and care.