Abstract

LOBO, Rosa Carla de Mendonça Melo; SANTOS, Niraldo de Oliveira; DOURADO, Gilvan  and  LUCIA, Mara Cristina Sousa de. Beliefs related to a process of sickness and cure in women with mastectomy: a psychoanalytic study. Psicol. hosp. (São Paulo) [online]. 2006, vol.4, n.1, pp. 0-0. ISSN 2175-3547.

Each individual establishes a rather particular way of dealing with health and body issues. Thus, independent of medical diagnostics, each individual’s happiness is related to his or her individual beliefs. We understand, therefore, the necessity of studying such beliefs in women with mastectomy under treatment in the Oncological Center of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Maceió Hospital. Of the 25 women included in this study, 88% were well informed insofar as their health problem was concerned. It was found out, though, that 16% of the patients had developed their own personal beliefs about the cause of their disease. A spiritual belief was quite present, and psychic issues manifested themselves through the body. With this data in mind, we observed that beliefs come about as psychic reserves to smooth over anguish caused by disease.

Keywords : Hospital psychology; Beliefs; Breast cancer.

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