title: Depression and barriers to mental health care in older cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the literature on depression in cancer patients with a particular focus on depression assessment and barriers to mental health treatment in older cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a review of the literature on depression and barriers to mental health treatment in older cancer patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depression is prevalent in cancer patients. However, little is known about prevalence rates of depression in older adults with cancer, assessing depression in older cancer patients and barriers that impede proper mental health treatment in this sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improved diagnostic clarity and a better understanding of barriers to mental health treatment can help clarify and facilitate mental health referrals and ultimately improve access to care among older cancer patients in need. Continuing to consider the complexities associated with diagnosing depression in older cancer patients is necessary. Further work may be needed to develop new diagnostic measures for such detection, determine the prevalence of depression among older cancer and ways in which to overcome barriers to mental health care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, White Plains, NY 10605, USA. miw2011@med.cornell.edu
authors.forename: Mark I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Weinberger
authors.forename: Martha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Breitbart
authors.forename: Christian J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*