Medication and Medical Service Use for Mental Health in Women With Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

To explore patterns of medical service and medication use for mental health in women with breast cancer (BC) pre- and post-diagnosis.

Population-based South Australian Cancer Registry linked with medical services and medication prescriptions data for all women with BC diagnosed between April/2013 and March/2014. The patterns of medication and medical service use for mental health were examined in 1-yearly intervals between 1-year before and 5-years after BC diagnosis. Generalised estimating equations models with binary logistic distribution were used to examine characteristics associated with medication and medical service use for mental health.

Data of 1143 women were analysed. The proportion of people who had a prescribed medication for mental health increased from 23% 1-year pre-diagnosis to 29% in the first year of diagnosis and remained stable at 29%-30% throughout 5 years post-diagnosis. The prevalence of medical service use for mental health increased from 7% 1-year pre-diagnosis to 13% in the first year of diagnosis, although the percentage decreased gradually over time post-diagnosis. A higher burden of comorbidity and time period after BC diagnosis were associated with increased likelihood for medication and medical service use for mental health, while older age, residing outside of major cities and receipt of radiotherapy were associated with decreased likelihood of mental health service use.

There is an apparent increase in medical service and medication use for mental health in the first year of BC diagnosis. These findings support the importance of early mental health screening to identify at-risk individuals for targeted intervention.