BREAST CANCER AND MENTAL HEALTH: UNDERSTANDING THE LINK TO DEPRESSION IN AN INDIAN SCENARIO

Depression can occur in more than 15% of patients with breast cancer (BC), affecting a person psychologically and emotionally. The objective of this chapter is to understand the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. Various screening tools are used to identify depression in addition to using the diagnostic criteria from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classication of Diseases (ICD-10). There is twice the risk of suicide in cancer patients for which Ketamine is successfully trialed to reduce suicidal ideation. This aside, non-pharmacological methods of cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing are explored. Hence, the use of multidisciplinary care delivery models combined with pharmacological and psychological treatments to improve anxiety, pain quality of life are briey discussed.