title: Mental adjustment to cancer: the role of anxious and depressive symptoms under treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Depression is a risk factor for poor quality of life and mental adjustment to cancer. This research aims to evaluate the course of mental adjustment to illness of cancer patients with anxious-depressive symptoms who receive antidepressant therapy (ADT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty oncological patients with and without depressive symptoms were divided into three groups. Group 1: 30 depressed cancer patients who underwent ADT with SSRI; Group 2: 30 depressed cancer patients who refused ADT; Group 3: 20 non-depressed cancer patients. Patients were evaluated at tO and 4 (tl) and 12 (t2) weeks later through: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), and MINI-MAC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HDRS and HARS mean scores were stable and under threshold across the study only in Group 3; at t2 they improved in Group 1 and worsened in Group 2. The improvements in anxiety and depression scores were associated with ADT and related to the changes in Mini-MAC helpless-hopeless, anxious preoccupations, cognitive avoidance and fighting spirit dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The improvement of mental adjustment to illness is directly related to the decrease of anxious-depressive symptoms among depressed cancer patients under antidepressant therapy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Fazio
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barberi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caglioti
authors.forename: Tassone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pierfrancesco
authors.forename: Tagliaferri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Piersandro
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Segura-García
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors