An investigation of psychological distress in patients who have been treated for head and neck cancer.

There is now ample evidence that psychological distress is common in patients with head and neck cancer and that psychology has a role in reducing this distress. In this study, the prevalence, nature, and correlates of distress were investigated, in 18 patients who were no longer being actively treated but were attending a follow-up clinic or support group (n= 9 each). Four of the patients had appreciable psychological distress and four each had anxiety or depression of at least borderline importance. The degree of depression and distress decreased with increasing age and there were trends for depression to decrease with time after the onset of the illness and to be slightly less common among those attending the support group (2/9 compared to 4/9). Numerous psychosocial difficulties were reported and perceptions of support available from friends and family were mixed. There are implications for services, and in particular, patients need to be given clear information about the resources available to give them psychosocial support.