  Keeping a Diary of Your Thoughts
Managing negative thoughts can often be overwhelming, so documenting them in a diary can usually prove an effective way to release stress and create a sense of control and order within your mind.
This fact sheet is a table-style template for documenting your thoughts - it is easily practically applied to an individual's life or patient's care plan, so as to ensure even better care can be provided.
Although intended for cancer patients, this fact sheet would be equally applicable to other patients as well as health professionals more generally.
This fact sheet is sourced from Ausmed Publications' textbook: 'Psychosocial Care of Cancer Patients: A health professional's guide to what to say and do', editors Dr Jemma Gilchrist & Dr Katharine Hodgkinson, (2008) chapter seven: 'Depression', by Mandy MacDonald.
Author: Mandy MacDonald
Mandy MacDonald is a clinical psychologist with clinical experience both in Australia and in the United Kingdom, and is a member of the Clinical College of the Australian Psychological Society. She has nine years' experience working in psycho-oncology at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney within both liason psychiatry services and, in more recent years, through the establishment of a dedicated clinical psychology service in oncology patients and their loved ones. In her current appointment she provies in-patient and out-patient care to medical oncology, radiation oncology and haematology patients. In addition, Mandy provides education, training and supervision to a broad range of oncology professionals and has been involved in teaching through psycho-educative DVD material. She has a longstanding interest in the development and delivery of comprehensive, multidisciplinary psychosocial care to hospital-based patients.
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