Depression Associated With Cancer Often Untreated

Oct. 25, 2007 — -- For survivors, the pain associated with cancer goes far beyond the tumors and toxic treatments. Things like fear and the way people treat cancer patients can hurt just as much as the physical problems caused by the disease.

"I'm having a hard time with my friends because they think that just because I'm done with my actual treatments I'm fine. [They say] 'Oh, you have hair! You look good! You must be healthy and must not have any more problems,'" said Lindsey Braff, a cancer survivor attending the Gilda's Club support group in New York City.

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While doctors today are better than ever at fighting the disease, a new study by the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., finds that the anxiety, fear and depression associated with cancer often go untreated. Of the country's top 20 cancer care centers, eight reported screening for emotional stress in only some of their patients.

"It's becoming a chronic illness, so now we have to take a wider view and treat the whole patient and take care of all their needs, including their cancer," said Dr. Lee Schwartzberg, co-author of the study and the medical director of the West Clinic in Memphis, Tenn.

Schwartzberg and the other authors of the study want to see more programs like the one at the West Clinic in which patients answer a series of questions about their emotional health before every physical exam by a doctor. The study calls for this type of screening to become standard from the flashpoint of diagnosis to the conclusion of treatment.

The study also found that many health care providers fail to refer patients to easily accessible existing programs like online help, one-on-one counseling and support groups. Additionally, the report highlights the often unmet needs of cancer patients that extend well beyond their mental health.

"As soon as you become a cancer patient, your world is turned upside down. There are so many things that need to be addressed, like financial issues or insurance," Schwartzberg said. "Even things as simple as transportation to and from the doctor's office can be a huge burden on a cancer patient."

Breast cancer survivor Karen Suddeth said she needed the most help 18 days into chemotherapy.

"That was so hard for me. I will never forget the morning I knew my hair was going to have to come off," she said.

Regardless of whether or not clinics start to screen patients like Suddeth for emotional distress after the release of this study, cancer will remain one diagnosis that can require a lifetime of care, even after physical recovery.