Josee Savard – författare

Insomnia and fatigue are two of the most frequent consequences after traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 30% of individuals suffer from chronic insomnia, an additional 20% have symptoms of insomnia, and up to 75% have significant and persistent fatigue. There is a strong empirical basis for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral interventions for the management of insomnia and fatigue in the general population and in other patient populations, and emerging research shows that these interventions seem applicable with similar benefits to people with TBI. Insomnia and Fatigue After Traumatic Brain Injury: A CBT Approach to Assessment and Treatment is written by a team of four scientist-practitioners in psychology who are experts in sleep medicine, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Together they have authored this assessment and intervention manual for insomnia and fatigue, intended for clinicians working with the TBI population. Based on cognitive-behavioral principles, the manual integrates evidence-based interventions and techniques used by expert clinicians working with these populations. Throughout the development process, there has been an ongoing integration of the best available research, specialized clinical expertise, and knowledge transfer expertise: all of these perspectives were used to choose, revise, and format the content of the manual as to ensure that it would be most useful for the target audience.

Handbook of Sleep Disorders in Medical Conditions reviews the current knowledge on the nature and manifestations of sleep disorders associated with a variety of common medical conditions, including epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and dementia. It also provides clinical guidelines on how to assess and treat them with pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Although the general principles of sleep medicine may be applied to some extent to patients with comorbid medical conditions, this book makes the case that an adaptive approach is warranted when considering the particularities of each condition.

In addition, clinicians must also be cautious when prescribing sleep medications as some pharmacological agents are known to exacerbate symptoms associated with the medical condition, such as cognitive deficits (i.e. difficulties with memory and attention) in cancer patients experiencing chemo brain, or in persons with neurologic conditions (e.g. mild cognitive impairment, dementia, stroke, brain injury). A differential approach to evaluating and treating sleep is thus warranted.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States. The improvement of screening procedures and treatments have led to higher survival rates, and consequently to an increased number of individuals who fear that their cancer might come back.

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is defined as the fear, worry, or concern that cancer may come back or progress. FCR has been found to be the number one unmet need of cancer survivors. High levels of FCR are associated with greater psychological distress, impaired functioning, decreased quality of life, and increased medical consultations, psychotropic usage and health-care costs. It is therefore crucial to offer these patients an appropriate and effective treatment. The books first propose a theoretical model of FCR that identifies the five main targets of intervention in this program: 1) cognitive interpretation; 2) behavioural avoidance; 3) cognitive avoidance; 4) reassurance and control seeking; 5) intolerance of uncertainty. Then, each target is discussed and specific cognitive-behavioural therapy strategies are suggested that focus on each of them based on the best available empirical evidence for the treatment of anxiety disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder) and cancer-related anxiety.

This book will be of interest to clinicians working with cancer patients such as psychologists and other health care providers as well as cancer patients and survivors. Graduate students in clinical health psychology, and connecting disciplines such as psycho-oncology, psychiatry, nursing, social work, rehabilitation, spiritual care, and sexology might also find this text of value.