I don’t think it would surprise many of us to think that cancer impacts mental health and wellness. For cancer survivors, several factors can negatively influence mental health, including anxiety, depression, and financial stress. This raises a crucial question – how does nurturing mental health affect prognosis?
A recent study published in the journal Psycho-Oncology investigated how commonly men with prostate cancer sought mental health treatment. The researchers looked into the use of psychotropic medications (i.e., drugs used to alter the mental state) and mental health services as a proxy for mental health problems. Specifically, the study assessed these measures for five years before and after prostate cancer diagnosis.
The study, which included data from 13,693 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2012 and 2020, revealed significant findings. It found that 15% of men began using psychotropic medications for the first time after receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis. Additionally, 6.4% of the men in the study sought out mental health services following their diagnosis.
Notably, the rate of psychotropic medication usage for the individuals in the study increased over time. In the five years before diagnosis, 34.5% of patients used medications. By five years post-diagnosis, the study reported a significant increase in medication use, with 40.3% of the patients using these drugs.
The researchers also found that both anxiety and depression were prevalent among the study cohort, reinforcing the shared experiences of the survivors. When looking specifically at anti-depressant drugs, usage rose over 5%, from 20.7% to 26%. The use of anxiolytic medications, those used to treat anxiety, rose slightly as well, going from 11.3% to 12.8%. Visits to a general practice mental healthcare provider also increased after prostate cancer diagnosis, rising to 10.6% from 7.8%.
Additional analysis showed that the most notable increases in the use of both medications and mental health services occurred immediately before and in the first two years following diagnosis.
The authors conclude that, due to the increases in medications and mental health services following prostate cancer diagnosis, early mental health screening could have a significant impact on men dealing with cancer. Incorporating mental health evaluations into the diagnostic process could identify patients who would best benefit from mental health interventions, empowering both the patients and the healthcare providers.
Sources: Psyco Oncol
