Abstract :
Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women globally as well in India. Breast cancer patients may suffer from psychological morbidity. Psychological problems like depression, anxiety, may affect the quality of life of breast cancer patients.
Aim of the Study: To study the psychiatric morbidity in diagnosed advanced breast cancer patients.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was done in the department of Psychiatry, over a period of one and half years from January 2014 to June 2015 at Osmania Medical College Allied Hospitals (M.N.J Institute of Oncology & Regional Cancer Centre and Osmania General Hospital), Hyderabad, Telangana. Breast cancer patient cases and controls were studied by the General health questionnaire -28 (GHQ-28)
Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview- plus (mini- plus).
Results: This difference in the proportion of psychiatric disorders was statistically significant.
By using MINI plus, 26.7% of breast cancer patients reported psychiatric illness and this percentage was 10% in controls. This difference was not statistically significant at p value of 0.05 (Chi square value 2.78, p value 0.18). The most common psychiatric morbidities were Dysthymia, and MDD seen in 3 (10%) women each.
Adjustment disorder unspecified was found in 2 (6.7%) women. There are statistically significant differences between cases and controls and these differences are circumscribed to domains of recall and language and orientation. The mean total score obtained by cases is 28.60 with a standard deviation of 1.354 and that obtained by the control group is 29.70 with a standard deviation of 0.535. The difference between the two groups is highly significant (p
Conclusions: The study brings out the need for identifying psychiatric problems at proper time, referral of breast cancer patients to Psychiatrists and points out the need for establishing psychiatric units in Cancer Institutes.
Keyword :
Breast cancer, Psychiatric morbidity, Adjustment disorder