And tell yourself, "This is not me. It's the drug" : coping with the psychological impact of corticosteroid treatments in haematology - further results from a pilot study

Corticosteroids are documented as associated with psychological adverse effects, including insomnia, irritability, aggression, neuro-psychological deficits, mood disorders (including severe depression), delirium and psychosis. Given the severity of these potential adverse effects and that corticosteroid use is central to the treatment of most hematological malignancies, it would be expected that a thorough research literature would exist on the effects of corticosteroid use in hematology. However, scant research is available. This leaves many questions unanswered and a vacuum for clinical practice. Thus, there is a strong need for empirical data, not only on the psychological adverse effects experienced by patients, but also on the coping strategies patients use to manage them.