Epidemiology, Etiology, Screening, Psychotherapy of Malignant Tumor Patients with Secondary Depressive Disorder

Abstract

The incidence of malignant tumors has been increasing year by year worldwide. Psychological problems related to cancer development have also received increasing attention from the public, especially cancerrelated depressive disorders. Depression in cancer patients which reduces patient quality of life, treatment compliance, and seriously affects patients’ recovery. This article discussed the significance of psychotherapy for the treatment of cancer-related depression in patients with regard to the epidemiology, etiology, screening and the current methods of psychotherapy for malignancies complicated by depressive disorders. Data Sources: Pubmed, using the keywords "tumor/cancer/depression/ psychotherapy" to search related literature. Data Selection: Studies were selected which had cancer-related depression or psychotherapy for cancerrelated depression as their original subjects. Data Synthesis: Cancer-related emotional disorders include mainly cancer-related depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Psychological problems brought about by malignant tumors have become increasingly prominent and its mortality rate has risen significantly. Studies have shown that malignant tumors and depression are actually comorbid. The absence of special screening tools has led to a low rate of diagnosis of cancer-related depression. The current psychotherapy methods for cancer complicated by depressive disorders in China and abroad include cognitive behavioral intervention, social support, adaptive behavior training and antidepressant drug treatment. Psychotherapy can alleviate the negative emotions of cancer patients, reduce the related harm, and improve the quality of life for patients with malignant tumors. Conclusion: Psychotherapy can reduce the psychological burden on patients, and improve their quality of life. More work is still needed to determine whether or not the psychological treatment can extend the overall survival of the cancer patients.