Journal of Philosophical Investigations

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

2 1. Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Tabriz University

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The characteristics of resistance to treatment and its rapid progress are the high mortality rate reasons. Patients who have been diagnosed with the disease are losing their self-awareness, which itself has a negative effect on the treatment process. However, it seems that such patients need to be considered on depressive disorders even after complete treatment of cancer. After receiving the bad news of cancer; patient, his/her family, be anxious. They initiate the patient's support until the end of the treatment period, without attention to such sudden support's adverse effects. The aim of the present study is to survey of cancer treatment and care's phenomenological and descriptive situations of the philosophy of medicine and psychology point of view. Post- disease disorder has a fundamental relationship with this fundamental situation.

Highlights

Phenomenology of Depression of Cancer-Improved Patients and Reaching to Philosophy - therapy as a caring approach

Mahmoud Sufiani1, Behnaz Sadeghzadeh Oskouei2, Esmat Mehrabi3

Behnaz Sadeghzadeh Oskouei1, Mahmoud Sufiani2, Esmat Mehrabi3

  1. 1.     Assistant Professor, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. E-mail: repbio.sbmu@gmail.com
  2. 2.     Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Tabriz University.(correspondent author) E-mail: m.sufiani@yahoo.com
  3. 3.     Assistant Professor, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. E-mail:

b.mehrabi62@gmail.com

 

 

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The characteristics of resistance to treatment and its rapid progress are the high mortality rate reasons. Patients who have been diagnosed with the disease are losing their self-awareness, which itself has a negative effect on the treatment process. However, it seems that such patients need to be considered on depressive disorders even after complete treatment of cancer. After receiving the bad news of cancer; patient, his/her family, be anxious. They initiate the patient's support until the end of the treatment period, without attention to such sudden support's adverse effects. The aim of the present study is to survey of cancer treatment and care's phenomenological and descriptive situations of the philosophy of medicine and psychology point of view. Post- disease disorder has a fundamental relationship with this fundamental situation.

Keywords: Cancer, Depression, Phenomenology, Philosophy Therapy, Fundamental existential situation.

 

 

 

 

 

Psychiatry and psychotherapy have always played a major role in the process of treatment and subsequent improvement. But in recent years, special attention has been paid to philosophy and its care aspect.Today, a field called the philosophy of medicine studies topics related to the relationship between philosophy and medicine.For example, one of the issues discussed in this area is the correct definition of the disease and its distinction from illness.The disease is a body-specific mechanism that can be treated with medical interventions, but an illness that often occurs after treating the disease, especially in dangerous diseases such as cancer, has no specific relationship with the patient's body and its disorders.Therefore, other interventions or other measures are needed to eliminate illness.Based on this, along with the biomedical approach, there is another approach called the humanistic medicine that has a philosophical dimension. The biomedical approach is a scientific and precise approach that is more based on Cartesian and physical view. But humanistic medicine deals with more fundamental and undetermined situations.In a humanist approach, philosophy can play a significant role. For example, one of the fundamental issues is the issue of death. This fundamental issue can be somewhat solved with a proper understanding of the meaning of life. Even some such as Erwin Yalom have considered the organization of life subject to a proper understanding of death.It seems that philosophical awareness can be one of the most necessary and most effective methods for treating and relieving illness since philosophers have had specific insights about life and its meanings.

  Philosophers have long regarded philosophy as treating the soul and preparing for death. Human health depends on the relationship between the body and the soul, as well as the relationship between life and death. In fact, human life is an integral whole whose components are correlated. For this reason, we have regarded a holistic approach in this article. Probably an illness arises from the awareness that this integral whole can be shaken at any moment. Since phenomenology takes into account the mind and body in special relation, it can be very effective in describing the patient's condition properly. However, the phenomenological description of this situation depends on the mutual relationship between the doctor and the patient. This mutual relationship is based on a kind of empathy. From a biomedical perspective that considers the body to be a mere physical machine, the holistic attitudes are meaningless and ineffective. However, humans often have a holistic attitude about life and their health depends on this attitude. Fear of disease and death may be the result of a kind of fundamental and existential anxiety. Philosophically, the human is essentially a creature of death-conscious and is afraid of death. Such fear and fundamental anxiety can create many misleading concepts in the mind and consciousness. Philosophical analysis can examine such concepts. If these concepts and meanings are not reviewed, they may be captured as ordinary stereotypes of human beings. Our suggestion is that philosophy-therapy along with psychotherapy is also necessary to support improved men. Because psychotherapy is not enough. Cancer is one of the causes of death, as well as in terms of its specific characteristics, including the high likelihood of death, along with the likelihood of long-term and severity of treatment and the difficulty of post-treatment care, one of the areas and situations It involves human beings with their own being and meaning of life. In such areas and situations, it is difficult for a person to become more sensitive about his own fear. Depression after a disease can have deeper roots. One of these deep roots in the confrontation of a person with a condition that he has not experienced before and it is natural that such a marvelous state of confusion confuses him. Certainly, the combination of meaningful experts, especially those with a high degree of philosophy, is necessary firstly to reveal one of the causes of such distress and depression to improved patients, and secondly to guide him out of distress.

 Although the patient may be described in terms of his findings as having a basic and initial nature, the physician, however, must analyze these situations in the pathway of the patient's life and in his life-world, and the patient with its phenomenological analysis. Therefore, success in such a care approach requires a primary patient awareness of the therapist's approach to life and the world. Of course, patient presuppositions are very important in their own circumstances and form part of the world. One of the tasks of the philosophy-therapy should be an insight into the various situations and interpretations that can be presented from them.

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