Mental health is a crucial aspect of the care offered by World Child Cancer, yet gaps in existing practice require that more can and should be done to tailor our aid programmes.   

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Conference is a major global forum for the exchange of knowledge, the raising of awareness and the promotion of innovative approaches to healthcare. This year the Conference focused on Mental Health and was held in Athens from 21st to 23rd of June, attend by our Programme Advisor, Ghazaleh Kad. A distinguished guest in attendance was former President Barack Obama, returning to the capital city where he made his final international trip while in office.  

Of particular relevance to the work of World Child Cancer was the session: ‘The invisibility of mental illness and mental wellness among children, adolescents, and young adults living with cancer by Marie Barnett, Assistant Attending Psychologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The talk introduced several conceptual tools of interest for healthcare practitioners. Recognising that the suffering of patients is ‘biopsychosocial’, comprising not only biological causes but the ‘silent struggles’ of emotional and social distress, Barnett sees cancer treatment as necessarily plural. With this plurality, it is suggested that practitioners should be aware of the ‘dialectics’ of cancer care; the introduction of new treatments and medicines carries acute negative biological, social and psychological repercussions. To see ‘dialectics’ is to illuminate the often-invisible consequences of childhood cancer care.  

Through its psychosocial support (PSS), including palliative care and bereavement counselling, World Child Cancer recognises the broader emotional and psychological needs of patients, families and healthcare providers and attempts to improve the quality of life for children with cancer and maximise treatment compliance. Recognising the interdependence of both mental and physical well-being, World Child Cancer is dedicated to enhancing healthcare services to encompass each crucial dimension.