Mental disorders and utilization of mental health services in newly diagnosed cancer patients: An analysis of German health insurance claims data

Abstract

Objective People with cancer are often confronted not only with the burdens of medical treatment but also with psychological strain, which can lead to mental disorders (MD). To date, the prevalence of MD in newly diagnosed cancer patients and their utilization of mental health services (MHS) are mainly estimated through data of primary studies than considering healthcare‐related claims data. Methods Statutory health insurance claims data of the AOK/KV Hesse from 2011 to 2014 was analyzed. The number of incident cancer patients with MD and the utilization of MHS within the period of the quarter of incident cancer diagnosis and three subsequent quarters were determined. For incident cancer patients with an incident MD, the predictive values of sex, age group, and tumor entity on the documentation of MD diagnosis and utilization were investigated. Results The 12‐month prevalence of MD in incident cancer patients was 31.1% for depression, 11.2% for anxiety disorders, and 9.2% for post‐traumatic stress/adjustment disorder (PTSD/AD). Of these, 65.9% received outpatient psychotherapy and 43.0% at least one psychopharmacological drug prescription. Men had a significantly lower chance of receiving an MD diagnosis following cancer. Conclusions The prevalence of MD observed was higher for depression and lower for PTSD/AD compared to meta‐analyses of clinical trials. Male cancer patients had a lower chance of receiving an MD diagnosis than females, which coincides with existing results.

What is the best time for psychosocial counselling from the perspective of cancer patients and their relatives? A multi‐centre qualitative study

“…Participants from both sexes underlined the overwhelming situation at that time, but men more often seem to prefer a proactive offer of psychosocial help at that time because they feel 'inhibited' to actively seek help. This is in line with findings that men use psychosocial services less frequently then women despite their need for it (Curry et al, 2002;Faller et al, 2017;Salm et al, 2021;Zeissig, Singer, Koch, Zeeb, et al, 2015).…”

“…About 3%-9% use cancer counselling centres in Germany (Schulz et al, 2018;Singer et al, 2011Singer et al, , 2012Zeissig, Singer, Koch, Blettner, et al, 2015). In the outpatient setting, there is a striking difference in usage between the sexes, where men are underrepresented with a sex ratio of about 1:3 (Curry et al, 2002;Faller et al, 2017;Salm et al, 2021;Zeissig, Singer, Koch, Zeeb, et al, 2015).…”

Clinical significance of controlling nutritional status score (CONUT) in evaluating outcome of postoperative patients with gastric cancer

“…Numerous patients with malignant tumors exhibit depression and anxiety, which affects the prognosis of the disease 26 . Studies have exhibited that patients with malnutrition are more likely to develop depression and anxiety 27 , 28 . Therefore, we used the STAI questionnaire to assess the psychological state of patients with gastric cancer after surgery.…”

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in people with different types of cancer or haematologic malignancies: a cross-sectional study

“…This can have several reasons, including that younger patients are less experienced and prepared to cope with physical limitations and to emotionally and cognitively accept their illness; an that the daily routine of younger patients is often more interrupted by a cancer diagnosis (Linden et al ., 2012 ). We also found that women were more likely to show symptoms of anxiety, which has also been well documented in previous studies (Linden et al ., 2012 ; Salm et al ., 2021 ). This may not necessarily be linked to a higher anxiety prevalence, but can also be caused by women being more open in communicating their symptoms, and by the tendency to use emotional approach coping (Linden et al ., 2012 ; Salm et al ., 2021 ).…”

“…Several aspects contribute to this wide variation in results including type of assessment and sample characteristics such as gender, age and cancer type (Krebber et al ., 2014 ; Caruso et al ., 2017 ; Niedzwiedz et al ., 2019 ). Women report symptoms of psychiatric comorbidities more often (Massie, 2004 ; Walker et al ., 2014 ; Wen et al ., 2019 ; Salm et al ., 2021 ), however, the effect of gender is not yet fully understood (Pitman et al ., 2018 ). Another aspect contributing to the wide variability in reported prevalence estimates is the varying and sometimes even poor methodological quality of studies, for example in terms of sample size (Walker et al ., 2014 ; Caruso et al ., 2017 ).…”