Every 12 months greater than 24,000 men from Australia have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, making it essentially the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst men in Australia.
Despite the high survival rate – about 96% men diagnosed with prostate cancer will survive at the least five years – prostate cancer can have a major impact on a person’s psychological well-being. This can apply to all stages of the disease, including diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.
Anxiety indicators, depression and suicide are higher amongst men with prostate cancer than in the final population.
In our last examinationWe wanted to understand the dimensions and timing of mental health problems in men with prostate cancer. Our findings suggest we need to offer them more support, earlier.
What we found
We analysed data on 13,693 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in South Australia between 2012 and 2020. We analysed data from the Prostate Cancer Registry, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the Medicare Benefits Schedule.
Using these data, we tracked prescription medication (comparable to antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications) and use of mental health services (comparable to visits to a GP and psychiatrist) five years before and five years after a prostate cancer diagnosis.
We found that the proportion of men using antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications increased from 34.5% five years before diagnosis to 40.3% five years later. Some 10.2% used mental health services five years before, compared with 12.1% five years later. Visits to a GP for mental health services were essentially the most common, increasing from 7.8% to 10.6%.
The most important increase in using medications and health services for mental illness occurred across the time of prostate cancer diagnosis. Around 15% of men began taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications on the time of diagnosis, while 6.4% sought help from mental health services for the primary time.
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Interestingly, the true impact of a prostate cancer diagnosis on men’s mental health is probably going to be underestimated in our study. We only checked out Medicare-subsidized mental health services, but some men may use mental health services privately or through community services. And after all, some men with mental health problems may not seek help in any respect.
Men could also be less likely to seek help
Our research suggests that men tend to take medication somewhat than seek help from mental health services. This may reflect a preference for medication, however it can also be due to limited availability of services or stigma associated with receiving help.
Studies show that many cancer patients reluctant to seek help due to mental health problems.
Evidence on general help-seeking behaviour suggests that men could also be much more less likely seek support than women. Whether it’s the stigma associated with mental health or the fear of being perceived as weak, only one quarter of men say they’d seek help from a mental health skilled in the event that they were experiencing personal or emotional problems.
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Early intervention is vital
Given the trends in medication and mental health service use we observed in our study, men appear to be most susceptible to psychological problems across the time of prostate cancer diagnosis. This vulnerability could also be due to the stress of the cancer diagnosis, treatment decisions, and concerns concerning the future.
Therefore, it might be worthwhile to include mental health screening in routine prostate cancer diagnostic processes. Early diagnosis mental health problems It is significant to prepare the bottom for timely interventions and support that may significantly improve mental well-being.
Rather than waiting for men to actively seek mental health support after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, we must be offering those detected through prostate cancer screening support at diagnosis and throughout treatment.
What do we need to do?
Psychological problems are some of the ceaselessly reported unmet needs of men with prostate cancer.
Improving access to mental health care may include increasing annual sessions Medicare-subsidized mental health services and providing broader access to family doctor-provided mental health care plans for men with prostate cancer.
Initiatives comparable to consulting services offered by Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and Cancer Counciland the appointment of nurses specializing in prostate cancer treatment may very well be expanded.
It would even be value expanding telemedicine services. They are a crucial option in cases where cost or distance may make accessing mental health services difficult for some prostate cancer patients.
Ultimately, we need to normalize discussions about mental health to ensure men with prostate cancer have every opportunity to express their struggles and get the support they need.
This is very essential given the big selection of effects that mental health problems have on an individual’s quality of life, health resultsand the general burden on the healthcare system.