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Anxiety is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. It can be an adaptive response to a perceived threat, with both psychological and physiological features. In the short term, anxiety [...]

Patients with cancer can feel particularly vulnerable and need special attention and support, so clinicians' attention to transference reactions--theirs and their patients--is especially important. Mismanaged transference reactions can undermine the therapeutic alliance in the patient-clinician relationship and negatively influence treatment outcomes. In oncology settings, real and perceived needs of patients in serious distress can occasion modification of usual outpatient protocols, particularly when flexible scheduling or home or hospital visits are warranted. Here, we comment on a case in which transference reactions of a young woman with cancer prompt her to terminate treatment. We discuss the importance of clinicians' recognizing and managing transference and countertransference, maintaining boundaries, and responding with empathy and integrity to cancer patients' concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the proper management of anxiety in medically ill people. Also cited are a survey showing that people with primary anxiety disorders like panic disorder, phobias and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are at increased risk of certain medical conditions, the lifetime prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the substances and drugs that could cause anxiety like antidepressants, anticholinergics, and antimycobacterial agents.