Anxiety, mood disorders put cancer patients at ris...( Patients with subsyndromal PTSD were...),Health

Patients with subsyndromal PTSD were more likely than others to have had mood disorders, but compared to those who had full PTSD, were much less likely to suffer from anxiety disorders, Andersen said.

The findings showed that past alcohol and substance abuse was also linked to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. About one-third of women with PTSD had a past history of alcohol/substance abuse or dependence, compared to one-fifth of subsyndromal women and one-tenth of women with no PTSD.

Another issue for women who had PTSD as compared to those with subsyndromal PTSD and those with no PTSD -- was a history of traumatic life events, the study found. For example, half of the PTSD patients reported having been physically attacked or abused in their lives, compared to less than 17 percent of women in the other two groups.

Although women with subsyndromal symptoms generally fared better than those with the full disorder, in some cases women in both groups faced significant coping difficulties. Women in the two groups were nearly four times more likely than those with no PTSD to say they were unable to work because of emotional distress (42 percent of PTSD group, 40 percent of subsyndromal group, and 11 percent of those with no PTSD.)

Thats a huge difference, and shows the real-life impact that PTSD symptoms can have on some breast cancer patients, Andersen said.

While the study suggests most cancer patients arent at risk for PTSD, Andersen said mood disorders are another matter.

I think depression is the mental health condition that needs the most attention as far as treating breast cancer patients, even more so than PTSD she said. Thats the direction our research is going, and we are working to develop an intervention to treat cancer patients with depression.

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