Psychiatric co-morbidity, distress, and use of psycho-social services in adult glioma patients—a prospective study

• Published in: Acta neurochirurgica Vol. 160; no. 6; pp. 1187 - 1194
• Main Authors: Singer, Susanne, Roick, Julia, Danker, Helge, Kortmann, Rolf-Dieter, Papsdorf, Kirsten, Taubenheim, Sabine, Renovanz, Mirjam, Jähne, Katja, Meixensberger, Jürgen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.06.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety; Brain cancer; Brain Neoplasms - complications; Cancer therapies; Comorbidity; Epidemiology; Facilities and Services Utilization; Female; Glioma; Glioma - complications; Hospitals; Humans; Information systems; Interventional Radiology; Male; Medical prognosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - rehabilitation; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mental health; Middle Aged; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Morbidity; Neurology; Neuroradiology; Neurosurgery; Original Article - Tumor - Glioma; Patients; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Radiation; Social services; Social Work - statistics & numerical data; Sociology; Surgical Orthopedics; Womens health; Depression; Anxiety; Patient-reported outcomes; Glioma; Astrocytoma; Glioblastoma
• ISSN: 0001-6268; 0942-0940
• DOI: 10.1007/s00701-018-3527-7

Background Distress impacts the daily life of glioma patients. This study explored its course over time and the usage of psychosocial care. Methods A consecutive sample of glioma patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess distress levels at admission to the hospital (t1), before discharge (t2), after 3 months (t3), and after 6 months (t4). They were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV to ascertain psychiatric disorders at t2. Psycho-oncological care in the hospital was determined with the Hospital Information System, and the use of outpatient treatment was evaluated with the Health Care Usage Questionnaire at t4. We compared the percentages of elevated distress, psychiatric co-morbidity, and care usage between men and women. Results During the study period, 37 patients were enrolled. Nineteen percent of the patients were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. The percentages of patients with elevated distress were 56, 59, 39, and 40% at t1, t2, t3, and t4, respectively. Participants who did not survive the 6 months presented with higher levels of distress. In the hospital, 14% of those with elevated distress were visited by a psycho-oncologist. In the outpatient setting, 43% of those with elevated distress visited a neuro-psychiatrist, and 14% went to a psychotherapist. There was no evidence for an effect of gender on psychiatric co-morbidity, distress, or care use. Conclusions A significant proportion of glioma patients report elevated distress during the hospital stay and thereafter. Only a fraction of them receive mental health care.