Department of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Capa, 34390, Istanbul, Turkey.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Istanbul University, 34390, Istanbul, Capa, Turkey.
BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Sep 3;19(1):269. doi: 10.1186/s12888-019-2251-z.
Although the adverse effects of cancer diagnoses and treatments on mental health are known, about less than 10% of patients are estimated to be referred to seek help. The primary purpose of this study was to obtain the baseline information on patients with cancer seeking help for mental health who presented for the first time to the psycho-oncology outpatient clinic, and to identify risk factors that may provide clues healthcare practitioners in recognizing those needing psychological help in oncology practice.
We reviewed the charts of 566 patients with cancer who were referred to the psycho-oncology outpatient clinic over a two-year period. The study includes the socio-demographic data, illness characteristics, psychiatric characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, and treatment recommendations for these patients.
The incidence of diagnoses of psychiatric disorders was 97.5%. The distributions of psychiatric diagnoses were as follows: any kind of adjustment disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, organic brain syndrome, personality disorders, delusional disorder, and insomnia. Recurrence of cancer, other chronic medical illnesses, a history of psychiatric disorders, poor social support, and low income comprised the common significant risk factors for adjustment disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. These risk factors were also seen to be significant in the regression analysis in terms of sex.
This study identifies the distribution of psychiatric disorders, the risk factors for specific psychiatric disorders, and draws attention to the fact that there are serious delays in patients seeking psychiatric help and in the referrals of oncologists for psychological assessment. Identifying risk factors and raising oncologists' awareness toward risk factors could help more patients gain access to mental health care much earlier.
尽管癌症诊断和治疗对心理健康的不良影响是已知的，但据估计，只有不到 10%的患者会被转介寻求帮助。本研究的主要目的是获得首次到心理肿瘤学门诊就诊寻求心理健康帮助的癌症患者的基线信息，并确定可能为肿瘤学实践中识别需要心理帮助的患者提供线索的风险因素。
我们回顾了两年期间被转介到心理肿瘤学门诊的 566 名癌症患者的病历。该研究包括这些患者的社会人口统计学数据、疾病特征、精神科特征、精神科诊断以及治疗建议。
精神障碍诊断的发生率为 97.5%。精神科诊断的分布如下：任何一种适应障碍、心境障碍、焦虑障碍、脑器质性综合征、人格障碍、妄想障碍和失眠。癌症复发、其他慢性内科疾病、精神病史、社会支持差和收入低是适应障碍、心境障碍和焦虑障碍的常见显著风险因素。这些风险因素在性别方面的回归分析中也具有显著意义。
本研究确定了精神障碍的分布、特定精神障碍的风险因素，并提请注意患者寻求精神科帮助以及肿瘤学家进行心理评估的严重延迟。确定风险因素并提高肿瘤学家对风险因素的认识，可以帮助更多患者更早获得心理健康护理。
