Death Ideation in Cancer Patients: Contributing Factors

Madeira, Nuno; Albuquerque, Emília; Santos, Tiago; Mendes, Alexandre; Roque, M.

doi:10.1080/07347332.2011.615381

Cited by 59 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This prevalence is higher than that reported among cancer outpatients of a regional cancer center in United Kingdom (7.8%) [7], among breast cancer patients undergoing surgery in Korea (10.9%) [29], among prostate cancer survivors in the United States (12.4%) [30], and among terminal cancer outpatients in Japan (8.6%) [31]. The prevalence we found in Chinese cancer inpatients is similar to that reported in other cohorts, including the 17.7% prevalence in a population-based sample of American cancer patients [32], the 15% prevalence in Japanese patients with unresectable lung cancer in Japan [33], and the 18.1% prevalence in Chinese gynecological cancer patients [20], but lower than that reported in Portuguese cancer patients referred for psychiatric consultation (34.6%) [34] and Korean stomach cancer survivors (34.7%) [35]. The prevalence variations across these studies may be partly due to the disparities in sampling methods, heterogeneity in the samples (i.e., patients with one type of cancer only vs. various types of cancer), definitions of SI (i.e., desire for hastened death vs. thoughts of ending one's life), assessment instruments (i.e., suicidal item of a depression scale vs. Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation), and the study settings (i.e., outpatient vs. inpatient).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Suicidal ideation among Chinese cancer inpatients of general hospitals: prevalence and correlates

Zhong

et al. 2017

Oncotarget

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Cancer patients are at high risk for suicide, particularly when they are informed about the cancer diagnosis or hospitalized for cancer treatment. Therefore, oncology healthcare settings such as large general hospitals in China, may represent an ideal setting to identify and treat suicidality in cancer patients. However, the clinical epidemiology of suicidality of Chinese cancer patients remains largely unknown. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation among Chinese cancer inpatients of large general hospitals. A total of 517 cancer inpatients were consecutively recruited from two tertiary general hospitals of a metropolitan city in northern China, and administered with standardized questionnaires to collect data on sociodemographics, mental health, and cancer-related clinical characteristics. Suicidal ideation and mental health were measured with a single self-report question “In the past month, did you think about ending your life?” and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, respectively. The one-month prevalence of suicidal ideation was 15.3% in Chinese cancer inpatients. In multivariable Logistic regression, depression, anxiety, moderate-to-severe pain, metastatic cancer, poor performance status, surgery, and palliative care were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Cancer inpatients of large Chinese general hospitals have high prevalence of suicidal ideation and therefore potentially at high risk for suicide. Suicide prevention efforts for cancer inpatients should include periodic evaluation of suicidality, effective pain management, psychooncological supports, and, when necessary, psychiatric treatment and crisis intervention.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Suicidal ideation among Chinese cancer inpatients of general hospitals: prevalence and correlates

Zhong

et al. 2017

Oncotarget

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“…This finding is consistent with those of previous studies in patients with cancer. [4], [21] Furthermore, the magnitude of the ORs for anxiety and depression for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were higher in FCs than in the general population. [9], [10], [22] Among FCs who experienced suicidal ideation, 11.5% had attempted suicide during the previous year (data not shown).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…[3] Several previous studies of the mental health of patients with cancer have reported that the risk of suicide in this group is higher than that in the general population and that vulnerability factors for suicide, such as depression, isolation, fear of being a burden, and poor prognosis, [4]–[6] are common in patients with cancer. However, despite increasing interest in the psychological stress suffered by caregivers, few studies have investigated the risk of suicide in FCs of patients with cancer, who are often the primary caregivers and who are subjected to an increasing burden of responsibility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts in Anxious or Depressed Family Caregivers of Patients with Cancer: A Nationwide Survey in Korea

et al. 2013

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Purpose: To describe the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in family caregivers (FCs) of patients with cancer and to identify the factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in FCs with anxiety or depression.Methods: A national, multicenter survey administered to 897 FCs asked questions concerning suicidal ideation and suicide attempts during the previous year and assessed anxiety, depression, socio-demographic factors, caregiving burden, patient factors, and quality of life (QOL).Results: A total of 17.7% FCs reported suicidal ideation, and 2.8% had attempted suicide during the previous year. Among FCs with anxiety, 31.9% had suicidal ideation and 4.7% attempted suicide; the corresponding values for FCs with depression were 20.4% and 3.3%, respectively. Compared with FCs without anxiety and depression, FCs with anxiety or depression showed a higher adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for suicidal ideation (aOR = 4.07 and 1.93, respectively) and attempts (OR = 3.00 and 2.43, respectively). Among FCs with anxiety or depression, being female, unmarried, unemployed during caregiving, and having a low QOL were associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation. FCs with anxiety who became unemployed during caregiving constituted a high-risk group for suicide. Being unmarried and having a low QOL with respect to financial matters were associated with increased suicide attempts among FCs with depression. Conclusion:FCs with anxiety or depression were at high risk of suicide. Interventions to enhance social support and to improve perceived QOL may help prevent suicide and manage suicidal ideation in FCs with anxiety or depression.

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“…A study found that cancer patients with depressive disorder and depressive symptoms had a higher risk of attempting suicide compared with those without depression. 38 Adults who are at immediate risk for attempting suicide require emergency care and prompt treatment for depression. In addition, adults with cancer who are depressed are less likely to be adherent to medications.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health care expenditures associated with depression in adults with cancer

Pan¹,

Sambamoorthi²

2015

J Community Support Oncol

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Background The rates of depression in adults with cancer have been reported as high as 38%–58%. How depression affects overall health care expenditures in individuals with cancer is an under-researched area. Objective To estimate excess average total health care expenditures associated with depression in adults with cancer by comparing those with and without depression after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, access to care, and other health status variables. Methods Cross-sectional data on 4,766 adult survivors of cancer from 2006–2009 of the nationally representative household survey, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), were used. The patients were older than 21 years. Cancer and depression were identified from the patients’ medical conditions files. Dependent variables consisted of total, inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, prescription drugs, and other expenditures. Ordinary least square (OLS) on logged dollars and generalized linear models with log-link function were performed. All analyses (SAS 9.3 and STATA12) accounted for the complex survey design of the MEPS. Results Overall, 14% of individuals with cancer reported having depression. In those with cancer and depression, the average annual health care expenditures were $18,401 compared with $12,091 in those without depression. After adjusting for demographic, socio-economic, access to care, and other health status variables, those with depression had about 31.7% greater total expenditures compared with those without depression. Total, outpatient, and prescription expenditures were higher in individuals with depression than in those without depression. Individuals with cancer and depression were significantly more likely to use emergency departments (adjusted odds ratio, 1.46) compared with their counterparts without depression. Limitations Cancer patients who died during the reporting year were excluded. The financial burden of depression may have been underestimated because the costs of end-of-life care are high. The burden for each cancer type was not analyzed because of the small sample size. Conclusion In adults with cancer, those with depression had higher health care utilization and expenditures compared with those without depression.

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Death Ideation in Cancer Patients: Contributing Factors

Abstract: Advances in cancer research and therapy have improved prognosis and the quality of life of many patients. However, previous epidemiological studies in oncologic patients

Cited by 59 publications

References 20 publications

Suicidal ideation among Chinese cancer inpatients of general hospitals: prevalence and correlates

Suicidal ideation among Chinese cancer inpatients of general hospitals: prevalence and correlates

Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts in Anxious or Depressed Family Caregivers of Patients with Cancer: A Nationwide Survey in Korea

Health care expenditures associated with depression in adults with cancer

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