Most studies have found clear gender differences in the prevalence of depressive disorders. Typically, studies report that women have a prevalence rate for depression up to twice that of men (Bebbington, 1996; Nolen-Hoeksema, 1987). More »

Mood disorders may play a role in erectile dysfunction (ED) in prostate cancer patients, according to a report at the Pan American Congress of Psychosocial & Behavioral Oncology. Of 10 prostate cancer patients referred for erectile dysfunction and/or a suspected mood disorder, 7 were diagnosed as having depression and 3 were found to have preexisting relationship problems. More »

Depression is the most common postoperative complication seen in patients who have undergone surgery for brain tumors, but it is seldom recognized or treated, according to preliminary findings of a study presented at the annual meeting of the More »

Children whose parents have been diagnosed with affective disorders are far more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness-especially affective disorder-than their peers whose parents do not have mood disorders (Beardslee, 1998; Burge and Hammen, 1991; Downey and Coyne, 1990). More »

Depression is a common complication of cancer, occurring in about 25% of all patients. If left untreated, depression can contribute to poor treatment compliance, increased hospital stays, and mortality. Medical issues, More »

Drs. Pirl and Roth describe various problems that complicate efforts to accurately diagnose and appropriately treat depression in cancer patients. These include the subjective nature of symptoms, multiple possible diagnoses within the spectrum of mood More »

Pirl and Roth synthesize well the rich literature that now exists on the prevalence, causes, and treatment of depression in patients with cancer. Their review focuses attention on: (1) those factors—patient- as well as disease- and treatment-related More »

Depression serious enough to affect daily functioning occurs in one of every five patients who have epithelial ovarian cancer, according to data presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. Diane Bodurka-Bevers, MD, and her colleagues at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center studied this problem in 275 patients with ovarian cancer. More »

Since sadness and anxiety are normal reactions to serious illness such as cancer, the challenge for the physician becomes determining which symptoms are appropriate to the situation and which are pathologic and require treatment, Susan J. Stagno, MD, said at a conference on palliative medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. More »