Depression among Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: A Study from North India

Abstract

Introduction: Major depressive disorder is a major mental health problem and is the fourth most important cause of loss of disability-adjusted life years worldwide. Aim: The study aimed to assess the association of depression among women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was done on 102 females diagnosed with breast cancer. Women were recruited using purposive sampling technique. Patients were evaluated on Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Version 6.0.0 to screen other psychiatric comorbidities. Hamilton depression 17-item, rating scale was used to measure severity of depression. Results: The prevalence of depression was 47.05% in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Majority of the patients (54.1%) had mild depression. Correlations of clinical and Sociodemographic variables with parameters of depression were not significant. Conclusions: Depression is commonly associated psychiatric morbidity in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. The severity of depression is independent of the sociodemographic and clinical variables of patients with breast cancer.

Posttraumatic Growth and Psychological Distress among Female Breast Cancer Survivors in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Only God is the last resort for their problems. 22,32,33 The growth in these areas is reported to be less in previous research studies. 24,34,35 We can explain this based on the different demography of the Indian subcontinent and cultural values, where spiritual beliefs and family support are a crucial part of the value system leading to positive growth.…”

“…1 The demographic characteristics of our study population are similar to the demographic details of studies conducted in North India. 3,14 The mean duration of the completion of treatment in this study group was 13.05 AE 10.54 months. This could be due to predefined selection criteria, according to which we had only included patients whose active treatment was completed at least 3 months before data collection time.…”

“…2 Many psychiatric disorders are associated as a result of the diagnosis of BC. 3,4 This journey of the entire treatment procedure is difficult as it brings financial burden, disruption of family routine, disfigurement in the body, fear of recurrence (FORC), and death. [3][4][5] Despite all the adverse outcomes, positive changes have been observed in survivors after BC's frightening and traumatic journey.…”

“…2 Many psychiatric disorders are associated as a result of the diagnosis of BC. 3 4 This journey of the entire treatment procedure is difficult as it brings financial burden, disruption of family routine, disfigurement in the body, fear of recurrence (FORC), and death. 3 4 5…”

“…3,4 This journey of the entire treatment procedure is difficult as it brings financial burden, disruption of family routine, disfigurement in the body, fear of recurrence (FORC), and death. [3][4][5] Despite all the adverse outcomes, positive changes have been observed in survivors after BC's frightening and traumatic journey. 6 Different individuals use different coping mechanisms to deal with additional adversity of life like BC.…”