Predicting mood disorders in breast cancer patients

Prediction of delayed psychiatric disorders in breast cancer patients by us ing a screening procedure was investigated. Two questionnaires, the Psychol ogical Distress Inventory and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, we re administered before and during chemotherapy, and at the first follow-up visit. A psychiatric diagnosis was assigned to 50 of the 132 patients (38%) evaluated at follow-up. Including a set of clinical and demographic variab les in a logistic regression, increasing age (P = 0.001) and psychiatric hi story (P < 0.001) were associated with psychiatric morbidity at follow-up. The accuracy of the two questionnaires in predicting delayed psychiatric di sorders increased from the evaluation before chemotherapy to the evaluation during chemotherapy. The most accurate prediction was observed for the con current evaluation at follow-up. The accuracy of three predictive models de veloped for each evaluation point by including age, psychiatric history and psychological distress measured with each of the two questionnaires was no t significantly better than that observed using only the questionnaires' sc ores as predictors. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.