Essential Issues in Pediatric Psychosomatic Medicine

With the advent of new treatments for medical diseases such as cancer, asthma, HIV infection, and cystic fibrosis, more children and adolescents are living with chronic illness than ever before. Seventy years ago, persons with cystic fibrosis survived an average of 5 years, while currently the life expectancy for patients with cystic fibrosis is more than 30 years.1 For children with cancer, the 5-year survival rate has improved dramatically to 79% for the period of 1995 to 2000.2 Increased survival, however, has brought new morbidities.3 Children with chronic illnesses are more likely to have emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric symptoms than healthy children4 and may be psychologically affected or traumatized by medical treatment.