Psychological Support in Breast Cancer Patients: A Personalized Approach

The discovery of an insidious disease such as breast cancer most of the time is experienced like a life interruption creating a large gap between the life before and after the diagnosis. The main goal in women’s life, together with fighting the disease, is therefore that of re-establishing the natural life balance or, in other words, repairing the biographic rift. This process of reconstruction is not exempt from psychological and emotional suffering. Women’s quality of life could be damaged, and scientific evidence has stressed that adopting an interdisciplinary approach is the best way to re-establish it again. In this perspective, a biopsychosocial model appears to be the best option for caring, where the patient is considered as a complex system characterized by physical, psychological and social aspects and where constant changes and adaptation to the physical, relational and cultural environment are required. Adhering to this model means to empower patients in the disease management, actively involving them and their family when needed, in treatment decision-making, in order to promote decisions that are consistent with their values, preferences and daily life management. This personalized approach, by means of an increase in patients’ autonomy and self-determination, results to positively affect clinical outcomes.