Anxiety and Depression in Adult Survivors of Cancer
Key Points
Key Points
- The psychological toll cancer takes on the growing population of survivors is often overlooked.
- Identification and treatment of cancer patients with comorbid psychiatric disorders, either pre existing or newly arising, remains imperative.
- Along with depression, anxiety is common among this population and continues to be an under addressed condition.
Table 1. Risk Factors for Anxiety and Depression in Cancer
- Advanced disease
- Intense or aggressive treatment(s); multiple treatments
- Higher symptom/side effect, adverse event burden
- Co-morbid medical conditions
- Few rehabilitative options
- Poor patient/doctor relationship
Personal
- Prior psychiatric history
- Past trauma history
- Helpless/hopeless outlook
- Low education level
- Low income
- Marital/interpersonal relationship conflict
- Younger age (<40)
Social
- Singleton (without marital or other partner)
- Limited social contacts
- Insufficient social support
- Limited access to service resources
- Socioenvironmental stressors
- Social stigma
Management
...Management...
...1.0 General Mana...
...endation 1.1All patients with cancer and a...
...on 1.2Clinicians should use a stepped-...
...mmendation 1.3Psychological and psychosocial in...
...ommendation 1.4When making a referra...
...mmendation 1.5For patients who have sy...
...ommendation 1.6For patients referred to and...
...ommendation 1.7If pharmacologic treatmen...
...1.8After 8 weeks of treatment for depression a...
...2.0 Treatm...
...tion 2.1For patients with moderate...
...on 2.2For a patient with moderate s...
...dation 2.3For a patient with severe sym...
...commendation 2.4Treating clinicians may...
...3.0 Treatment and Car...
...ion 3.1For patients with moderate to severe anxi...
...commendation 3.2For a patient with moderate sy...
...dation 3.3For a patient with severe symptom...
...3.4Treating clinicians may offer a pharmacolog...
...ening and Assessment — Depression...
...Map — Depression in Adults With Canc...
Figure 3. Screening and Assessment...
...Map — Generalized Anxiety in Adult...
...that cancer clinical trials are vi...