Mental health services underutilized by cance...( The prevalence of major psychiatric dis...),Health

The prevalence of major psychiatric disorders is as common in cancer patients as they are in the general population, with the exception of panic disorder which had elevated rates compared to the general population (5 percent versus 1.7 percent, respectively). However, fewer than half of advanced cancer patients with major psychiatric complaints receive care from a mental health provider, according to a study published in the December 15, 2005 issue of CANCER (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study, one of the first to relate prevalence and use of mental health services and terminal cancer patients, suggests that Caucasian patients and patients who discuss their psychiatric complaints are more likely to receive care.

Cancer patients have several factors that contribute to emotional distress. Psychiatric disorders left untreated in terminal cancer patients have been demonstrated to worsen the quality of life in such areas as pain control and physical disability, adversely affect treatment compliance and shorten survival. Data suggest that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in early stage cancer patients is far less than advanced stage cancer patients. However, the prevalence of psychiatric disease in the latter is poorly understood with estimates varying from 3 to 38 percent. In order to improve the quality of life in advanced cancer patients, researchers set out to understand the extent of the problem of psychiatric disease and how mental health services are being utilized.

First author, Nina S. Kadan-Lottick, M.D., M.S.P.H. of the Yale University School of Medicine and the Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, CT, examined data from the Coping with Cancer (CWC) Study. The CWC is an NIH-funded multi-site longitudinal study of advanced cancer patients and caregivers (MH63892, CA106370; PI: H. Prigerson). Two
'"/>

Contact: David Greenberg
dgreenbe@wiley.com
201-748-6484
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
14-Nov-2005

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Mental illnesses appear common among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
2. Mental health problems threaten the knowledge economy
3. Yarning about Mental Health during International Mental Health Week
4. Mental health units should not be exempt from smoking ban
5. Mental disorders as common in Lebanon as in western Europe
6. Mental stress effects on heart more common than previously known
7. Mental stress may lead to heart disease
8. Mental distress due to abortion lasts for years
9. Mental stress may be another culprit in raising cholesterol levels in healthy adults
10. Mental illness exacts enormous toll for US businesses and institutions
11. Floyd E. Bloom wins 2005 Sarnat Prize in Mental Health