Mental adjustment to cancer: the role of anxious and depressive symptoms under treatment

Objective: Depression is a risk factor for poor quality of life and mental adjustment to cancer. This research aims to evaluate the course of mental adjustment to illness of cancer patients with anxious-depressive symptoms who receive antidepressants (ADT). Method: Eighty oncological patients with and without depressive symptoms were divided into three groups. Group 1: thirty depressed cancer patients who underwent ADT with SSRI; Group 2: thirty depressed cancer patients who refused ADT; Group 3: twenty non depressed cancer patients. Patients were evaluated at t0 and 4 (t1) and 12 (t2) weeks later through: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and MINI-MAC. Results: HDRS and HARS mean scores were stable and underscore across the study only in Group 3; at t2 they improved in Group 1 and worsened in Group 2. The improvement in anxiety and depression was associated with ADT and accordant to the changes in Mini-MAC helpless-hopeless, anxious preoccupations, cognitive avoidance and fighting spirit dimensions. Conclusion: The improvement of mental adjustment to illness is directly related with the decrease of anxious-depressive symptoms among depressed cancer patients under antidepressant therapy.