Abstract

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer, but also a diagnosis of any chronic disease, is a shocking experience for adults and children as well as for their significant others. Depending on the patient’s support Network or family functioning, psychological support may become extremely important after diagnosis, during treatment but also after treatment. The current article gives an overview of the literature dealing with the psychological problems that paediatric and adult cancer patients face, describes the current situation in psychological support in Estonia and provides insights into the daily work with patients done by two oncology department`s psychologists.