CancerQuest | Interview with Dr. Michael Burke

Dr. Michael Burke
Assistant Professor
Clinical Director of Psychiatric Services
Winship Cancer Institute
Emory University
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Atlanta VA Medical Center

Dr. Burke works to ease the psychological and social problems faced by cancer patients. In this interview he discusses the problems that cancer patients encounter and provides some suggestions for ways to cope with cancer.

Questions and Answers

	About Dr. Burke(Time: 9 sec)
	When/Why did you get interested in psychiatry and, in particular, oncologic psychiatry?(Time: 1 min 27 sec)
	What are the issues with which you deal most frequently in cancer patients?(Time: 2 min 57 sec)
	What are the current modalities for treatments?(Time: 21 sec)
	How effective are the current treatments?(Time: 1 min 47 sec)
	What are the misconceptions that patients have about mental health issues and cancer?(Time: 1 min 47 sec)
	What would you say are the top three things that a newly diagnosed cancer patient should do to maximize their psychological well being?(Time: 3 min 6 sec)
	How can the support network of a cancer patient best assist them in achieving maximal well being?(Time: 3 min 15 sec)
	What signs should patients and their caregivers look for that may indicate a negative change in their psychological status? What steps should be taken?(Time: 3 min 9 sec)
	What are the different stages of diagnosis and treatment during which patients suffer depression?(Time: 2 min 58 sec sec)
	What are the risk factors that put patients at higher risk for depression?(Time: 2 min 17 sec)
	What are the types of resistance that you encounter from patients in the treatment of mental health issues?(Time: 3 min 12 sec)
	Have there been studies involving mental changes in patients after being diagnosed with cancer?(Time: 36 sec)