Differences in depressed oncologic patients' narratives after receiving two different therapeutic interventions for depression: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore differences in personal narratives of the experience of illness and treatment in depressed oncologic patients who received either combined treatment for depression (psychotherapy plus antidepressants) or standard treatment (antidepressants alone). METHODS: We employed a qualitative research design based on grounded theory. Data were collected from eight videotaped focus groups and semi-structured interviews with a total of 28 participants. The research team reviewed interview transcripts and categorized the participants' responses using the ATLAS.ti (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH Hardenbergstr. 7 D-10623, Berlin) software package. RESULTS: Compared with patients in the standard treatment group, patients in the combined treatment group were better able to relate their experiences of physical and emotional discomfort and find meaning in the experience of illness by viewing cancer as a transformative experience. In addition, patients in the combined treatment group tended to use more active coping strategies based on acceptance of their situation and emphasized that psychotherapy had been helpful. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative analysis is an efficient method of examining the meaning of quantitative results in depth, particularly patients' perspectives on quality of life. Patients undergoing combined treatment consider psychotherapy to be a helpful tool and exhibit more personal growth than do patients undergoing standard treatment.

Tratamientos para la depresión en la enfermedad oncológica. Una revisión narrativa / Treatments for depression in oncologic disease. A narrative review

El aumento de la esperanza de vida en el paciente oncológico, así como una mayor preocupación desde el ámbito oncológico por los aspectos psiquiátricos y psicológicos de la enfermedad, han conllevado un aumento de la demanda de intervenciones psicoterapéuticas y farmacológicas, principalmente por depesión. El amplio abanico de intervenciones posibles para los trastornos depresivos permite al clínico optar por tratamientos psiquiátricos compatibles con los oncológicos, así como mejorar en conjunto la calidad de vida del paciente y su entorno. En este trabajo se presentan y comentan los datos más importantes recopilados sobre tratamientos para la depresión en los últimos años, ofreciendo al clínico una revisión narrativa de su estado actual (AU)

The increase of life expectancy in oncologic patients and the rising interest on psychiatric and psychological aspects of the oncologic disease implie a growth in the demand of psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic interventions, most of them for depression. The wide spectrum of available interventions for the depressive disorders allows clinicians to choose treatments compatible with the oncologic ones, increasing quality of life of patients and their social setting. This paper reviews and comments the most important evidences compiled from the last ten years’ scientific literature, offering a narrative review of the present situation (AU)