KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to analyze psychotropic medication and mental health service use 5 years before and after prostate cancer diagnosis.
- The results indicated increased psychotropic medication and mental health service use around prostate cancer diagnosis, highlighting screening benefits.
Prostate cancer exerts a substantial toll on mental wellbeing, introducing uncertainty and heightened morbidity concerns. The diagnosis often triggers profound emotional challenges, emphasizing the need for comprehensive support and care strategies.
Tenaw Tiruye and the team aimed to analyze patterns of psychotropic medication and mental health service utilization surrounding prostate cancer diagnosis over a decade.
Population-based registry data linked with Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare Benefits Schedule records included 13,693 patients with prostate cancer diagnosed between 2012 and 2020.
Researchers assessed the proportions and rates of psychotropic medication and mental health service utilization pre- and post-diagnosis. They conducted multivariable adjusted interrupted time series analyses to examine temporal utilization patterns.
About 15% of men began using psychotropic medications and 6.4% sought mental health services for the first time post-diagnosis. Psychotropic medication usage increased from 34.5% 5 years before to 40.3% 5 years after diagnosis, including higher use of antidepressants (20.7% to 26.0%) and anxiolytics (11.3% to 12.8%).
Mental health service utilization rose from 10.2% to 12.1%, predominantly through general practice mental health visits (7.8% to 10.6%). Multivariable ITSA identified a significant upsurge in medication and service utilization immediately before and in the first 2 years following prostate cancer diagnosis.
The study concluded that there is a noticeable rise in psychotropic medication and mental health service utilization during the period surrounding prostate cancer diagnosis. It suggests that early mental health screening during diagnosis could potentially enhance mental health outcomes by facilitating timely interventions.
Funding was provided by the Cancer Council South Australia and David Roder secured funding from The Movember Foundation.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38960607/
Tiruye T, Hiwase M, Charlick M, et al. (2024). “Temporal trends in medication and service use patterns for mental health issues among men with prostate cancer.” Psychooncology. 2024;33(7):e6369. doi:10.1002/pon.6369
