56
心
理導航
楊昆
（主任醫師）
Yang Kan
!"#$%&
在癌症治療過程中，人們採用了各種各樣的治療手段，
諸如手術切除腫塊、放射治療和化學藥物治療殺滅癌細胞，
卻常常忽略了給病人添加“心理”藥。
有這樣一個故事
有位細胞形態學專家痰中微微帶著血色，他讓學生塗張片子
看看。鏡下的異樣細胞讓學生莫明其妙，因不便妄斷便請導師過
目。不料，他的導師只是往顯微鏡㛾瞅了一眼，隨著一陣驚恐便
猝然倒地，再也沒有醒來。原來他看到的是癌細胞。這是我最早
知道的有關心理壓力對癌症的影響。此後對有關于“癌症患者的不
幸在於半數人是被嚇死的”之類告誡，我是深信不疑的。
癌症的誘因
人類在同癌症鬥爭過程中發現，抑鬱悲傷的心理，緊張的情
緒，應激的反應和沉重的精神壓力，可以成為癌症的誘因。古希
臘的醫生珈倫在觀察了大量病例以後注意到，性格憂鬱的女子比
開朗活潑的女子更容易得癌症。另一位有名望的醫生佩吉特也認
為，在牽腸掛肚，憂慮悲觀的情緒之後，癌症往往會乘虛而入。
大量的人群流行
病學調查和研究
證實，癌症與患
者內心衝動有
關，長期過度的
緊張與焦慮不
安，刺激中樞神
經系統，可導致
大腦興奮與抑制
失調，抵禦癌症
的自身免疫系統
的減弱，從而使
體內某些細胞發
生癌變。在5 0
年代，心理學家
勞倫斯．菜香曾
對一組癌症患者
的生活史作了調
查發現，絕大多
數人從童年時期
開始便留有不同
程度的心理傷
痕。如早年喪父
“PSYCHOLOGICAL”
MEDICINE IS A MUST IN
THE FIGHT AGAINST
CANCER
The fight against cancer is not
only physical but also mental and
psychological. Even the ancient
Greek physician Galen had noticed,
after extensive studies, that those
women with a depressive character
were more prone to tumors. When a
subject is constantly highly shrunk,
steroid secretion increases with con-
sequent reduction in immunity so that
the ability to eradicate mutated can-
cer cells suffers. On the other hand,
a determined cancer patient fights on
and may well survive longer. Usual
methods of psychological assistance
are: (1) use of detail explanation to
highlight the prospects of treatment;
to ally fears; to enhance the faith (2)
divert attention to other interests, e.
g., physical training, gardening,
drawing, calligraphy, reading,
singing, music, TV, cinema, fictions,
etc. (3) development of willpower
through acceptance of fate and a
positive, optimistic attitude to over-
come (4) according to “Yellow
Emperor’s Canon of Internal
Medicine”, when one has a calm and
peaceful mind, diseases are avoided
or, the healing of any diseases con-
tracted is prompt (5) encouragement
tactics, e.g., through solid examples
of other patients overcoming the
disease; even a minor achievement
of symptom control helps.
