Prevalence of anxiety and depression in people with different types of cancer or haematologic malignancies: a cross-sectional study.

AIMS: Cancer patients often present with psychological symptoms that affect their quality of life, physical health outcomes and survival. Two of the most frequent psychiatric comorbidities are anxiety and depression. However, the prevalence of these disorders among cancer patients remains unclear, as studies frequently report varying rates. In the present study, we aimed to provide robust point estimates for the prevalence of anxiety and depression for both a mixed cancer sample and for 13 cancer types separately, considering confounding variables. METHODS: In a sample of 7509 cancer outpatients (51.4% female), we used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess rates of anxiety and depression. Applying ordinal logistic regression models, we compared the prevalence of anxiety and depression between different cancer types, controlling for age and gender. RESULTS: About one third of our sample showed symptoms of anxiety (35.2%) or depression (27.9%), and every sixth patient had a very likely psychiatric condition, with women being more frequently affected. Elderly patients more often showed signs of depression. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was significantly higher in lung and brain cancer patients, than in other cancer patients. Lowest depression rates were found in breast cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anxiety and depression is high in cancer patients. Type of cancer is an important predictor for anxiety and depressive symptoms, with lung and brain cancer patients being highly burdened. Considering a personalised medicine approach, physicians should take into account the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities and include psychiatric consultations in the treatment plan.

CAPs-IDD: Characteristics of Assessment Instruments for Psychiatric Disorders in Persons with Intellectual Developmental Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of psychiatric disorders in persons with an intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) can be performed with a variety of greatly differing instruments. This makes the choice of an instrument best suited for the intended purpose challenging. In this study, we developed a comprehensive set of characteristics for the evaluation and description of assessment instruments for psychiatric disorders in adult persons with IDD. This simplifies the search for an instrument as it makes an easy and direct comparison possible and hereby allows a more thorough and appropriate decision making when selecting assessment tools. METHOD: A mixed-methods approach was used. First, a systematic literature search was conducted to identify existing tools for the description and evaluation of assessment instruments. Second, the content of these tools was combined and missing features and IDD-specific attributes were added. Finally, expert consultations were performed. RESULTS: The Characteristics of Assessment Instruments for Psychiatric Disorders in Persons with Intellectual Developmental Disorders (CAPs-IDD) lists characteristics to evaluate and describe instruments for psychiatric disorders in persons with IDD. It comprises two sections: first, the conceptual and measurement model; second, the psychometric properties. Each section consists of various subsections and a detailed response format for coding instruments. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the CAPs-IDD helps to identify and choose instruments that best suit the respective purpose. Filled with information, it could be made accessible via new technologies to researchers and practitioners and be updated when new information is available. Thus, it contributes to a more reliable and valid assessment of possible psychiatric disorders in persons with IDD.