Does the prevalence of depression in patients with malignancies vary with the diagnostic approach: A study comparing...

Very few studies have compared different diagnostic approaches to diagnose depression in patients with cancers.

To compare the different diagnostic approaches used for diagnosing depression in patients with cancers.

This cross-sectional study included 200 patients (diagnosed with cancer at least 3 months prior to recruitment) attending the outpatient services who were assessed on diagnostic and statistical manual, fifth edition (DSM-5) criteria for depression. Additionally, these patients were also assessed using the inclusive, exclusive, and substitutive criteria for depression using a semistructured interview. Patients completed Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).

The mean age of the patients was 50.28 years (S.D. M14.11). Females outnumbered males. The mean age of onset of malignancy was 47 years (S.D 14.03), and the mean time since diagnosis of cancer was 35.45 years (S.D 36.87). The prevalence of depression was the highest (38.5%) when estimated using the PHQ-9 and was the lowest (21.5%) when assessed using exclusive criteria for depression. All approaches had high degree of concordance with the DSM-5 criteria for depression.

A significant proportion of patients with cancer suffer from depression, and the prevalence is influenced by the diagnostic method.