Evaluation of Depression in Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Cases in Hatay Province of Turkey in 2011

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in females in Turkey. The main problems experienced by women with breast cancer are physical losses, emotional distress and degradation in family, work and social roles. The purpose of this cross-sectional retrospective study was to investigate the socio-demographical characteristics and depressive symptoms of 125 newly diagnosed cases with breast cancer reported to cancer control department of Hatay provincial health directorate in 2011. To evaluate the depressive symptoms the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used. All 125 cases who participated in the study were female. The mean age was 49.2 +/- 11.9. The mean BDI score of the cases was 17.5 +/- 10.6. The number of cases whose BDI scores were 17 and above was 65 (52.0%), and the number of cases whose BDI scores were under 17 was 60 (48.0%). The most striking finding in our study was that only 4 of the cases were receiving psychological help and support. The rate of depression was found high in our study and psychological support is a must for patients with a life threatening disease such as cancer.