Scott M. Sellick, PhD, CPsych, Associate Research Scientist & Director of Supportive Care, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, ON.

Approximately 25% of persons with cancer report symptoms that meet the diagnostic criteria for the most prevalent mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic minor depression, and adjustment disorder with depressed mood. This is two to four times the incidence found among the general population. To simply consider depression as “normal” precludes the possibility that some very good things can happen when patients are properly diagnosed and referred to a psychosocial program to be seen by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker. Asking about a patient’s general mood or spirits needs to become as routine as asking about pain. While screening instruments can be very helpful, single questions are equally useful for identifying patients with this unmet need. Otherwise, patients remain feeling helpless or that their condition is hopeless, and this can easily spiral into despair and significantly worsened depression.
Key words: cancer, depression, psychosocial, supportive care, coping.

Dale A. Lund, PhD, Professor of Gerontology & Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Michael S. Caserta, PhD, Associate Professor of Gerontology & Health Promotion & Education, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

Although men are less likely than women to outlive their spouses, 27% of men age 65 and over in Canada are widowed and in the U.S., 43% of men over age 85 are widowed. Rather than relying on cultural stereotypes about how men cope with widowhood and bereavement, research findings can be used to provide a more accurate description of their process of adjustment, identify their most common difficulties, and offer valuable suggestions for effective ways to maintain and restore a high quality of daily life.
Key words: widowhood, widowers, grief, bereavement, coping.