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
Managemen...
...General Management Princip...
...ation 1.1All patients with cancer and any p...
...ion 1.2Clinicians should use a stepped-ca...
...mendation 1.3Psychological and psychosocial inter...
Recommendation 1.4When making a referral for...
...n 1.5For patients who have symptoms of both d...
...dation 1.6For patients referred to a...
Recommendation 1.7If pharmacologic treatme...
...ommendation 1.8After 8 weeks of treatme...
...eatment and Care Options for Depressiv...
....1For patients with moderate to severe depressi...
...ommendation 2.2For a patient with mod...
...mendation 2.3For a patient with severe sympto...
...ndation 2.4Treating clinicians may of...
....0 Treatment and Care Options for Anxiety Sy...
...mmendation 3.1For patients with mod...
...ion 3.2For a patient with moderate...
...on 3.3For a patient with severe sym...
...3.4Treating clinicians may offer a pharmacolog...
...reening and Assessment — Depression in...
...2. Care Map — Depression in Adults With C...
...ening and Assessment — Anxiety in...
...e Map — Generalized Anxiety in Adults With Cance...
...es that cancer clinical trials are vit...