Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T07:07:53.052Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Psychiatric disorders and background characteristics of cancer patients' family members referred to psychiatric consultation service at National Cancer Center Hospitals in Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2008

Mariko Asai ,
Tatsuo Akechi ,
Tomohito Nakano ,
Ken Shimizu ,
Shino Umezawa ,
Nobuya Akizuki  and
Yosuke Uchitomi
Mariko Asai
Affiliation:
Psycho-Oncology Division, Research Center for Innovative Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Japan Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Science, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Tatsuo Akechi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Tomohito Nakano
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Ken Shimizu
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Service, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Shino Umezawa
Affiliation:
Nursing Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Nobuya Akizuki
Affiliation:
Psycho-Oncology Division, Research Center for Innovative Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Japan
Yosuke Uchitomi*
Affiliation:
Psycho-Oncology Division, Research Center for Innovative Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Japan
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Yosuke Uchitomi, Psycho-Oncology Division, Research Center for Innovative Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Psychological distress of cancer patients' family members is treated by psychiatric consultation service for outpatients at National Cancer Center Hospitals in Japan. The purpose of this study was to identify psychiatric disorders and explore background characteristics of cancer patients' family members referred to psychiatric consultation service, so that we could better understand current utilization of this psychiatric consultation service for cancer patients' family members.

Methods:

A retrospective descriptive study using clinical practice data obtained for 5 years (from January 2000 to December 2004) was conducted at two National Cancer Center Hospitals. We reviewed the psychiatric consultation database, computerized patient database of the National Cancer Center Hospitals, and medical charts of cancer patients' family members who were referred to psychiatry and their cancer patients.

Results:

Out of a total of 4992 psychiatric consultations, 118 (2%) were for cancer patients' family members. The most common psychiatric disorders among cancer patients' family members were adjustment disorders (n = 69, 58%), followed by major depression (n = 30, 25%). Female (n = 101, 86%), spouse (n = 87, 74%), married (n = 92, 78%), and housewife (n = 63, 53%) were the most common background characteristics of the family members. Sixty-four percent of cancer patients (n = 75) were hospitalized at the time of their family members' referral and 34% of cancer patients (n = 40) had already received psychiatric consultation service and 55% of cancer patients (n = 65) had delivered bad news prior to their family members' referral.

Significance of the research:

We found that very few family members were provided with psychiatric consultation service at two National Cancer Center Hospitals. Adjustment disorders are suggested to be the most common psychiatric disorders among cancer patients' family members.

Keywords

Psychiatric disordersBackground characteristicsCancer patients'family membersPsychiatric consultationJapan
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , September 2008 , pp. 225 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Akechi, T., Akizuki, N., Okamura, M., et al. (2006). Psychological distress experienced by families of cancer patients: Preliminary findings from psychiatric consultation of a cancer center hospital. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 36, 329–332.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Akechi, T., Nakano, T., Okamura, H., et al. (2001a). Psychiatric disorders in cancer patients: Descriptive analysis of 1721 psychiatric referrals at two Japanese cancer center hospitals. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 31(5), 188–194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Akechi, T., Okamura, H., Nishiwaki, Y., et al. (2001b). Psychiatric disorders and associated and predictive factors in patients with unresectable nonsmall cell lung carcinoma: A longitudinal study. Cancer, 92, 2609–2622.3.0.CO;2-K>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christakis, N.A., & Allison, P.D. (2006). Mortality after the hospitalization of a spouse. New England Journal of Medicine, 354, 719–730.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hattori, H., Salzberg, S.M., Kiang, W.P., et al. (1991). The patient's right to information in Japan—Legal rules and doctor's opinions. Social Science and Medicine, 32, 1007–1016.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hodges, L.J., Humphris, G.M., & Macfarlane, G. (2005). A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between the psychological distress of cancer patients and their carers. Social Science and Medicine, 60, 1–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kissane, D.W., Bloch, S., Burns, W.I., et al. (1994). Psychological morbidity in the families of patients with cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 3, 47–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurtz, M.E., Given, B., Kurtz, J.C., et al. (1994). The interaction of age, symptoms, and survival status on physical and mental health of patients with cancer and their families. Cancer, 74(7 Suppl.), 2071–2078.3.0.CO;2-R>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Long, S.O., & Long, B.D. (1982). Curable cancers and fatal ulcers. Attitudes toward cancer in Japan. Social Science and Medicine, 16, 2101–2108.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miaskowski, C., Kragness, L., Dibble, S., et al. (1997). Differences in mood states, health status, and caregiver strain between family caregivers of oncology outpatients with and without cancer-related pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 13, 138–147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ministry of Health and Welfare. (1994). Reports on the socioeconomic survey of vital statistics. The medical treatment for the terminal ill patients Japan. Tokyo: Ministry of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. (2004). Vital statistics of Japan. Tokyo: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.Google Scholar
Pitceathly, C. & Maguire, P. (2003). The psychological impact of cancer on patients' partners and other key relatives: A review. European Journal of Cancer, 39, 1517–1524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plumb, M. M. & Holland, J. (1977). Comparative studies of psychological function in patients with advanced cancer—I. Self-reported depressive symptoms. Psychosomatic Medicine, 39, 264–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prigerson, H.G., Cherlin, E., Chen, J.H., et al. (2003). The Stressful Caregiving Adult Reactions to Experiences of Dying (SCARED) Scale: A measure for assessing caregiver exposure to distress in terminal care. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 11, 309–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rait, D. & Lederberg, M. (1990). The family of the cancer patient. In Handbook of psycho-oncology, Holland, J.C., & Rowland, J.H. (eds.). pp. 585–597. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Saeki, T., Mantani, T., Yamawaki, S., et al. (2000). The role of Japanese families in cancer care. In Cancer and the Family, Baider, L. (ed.), pp. 111–117. New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Sharan, P., Mehta, M., & Chaudhry, V.P. (1999). Psychiatric disorders among parents of children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 16, 43–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vanderwerker, L.C., Laff, R.E., Kadan-Lottick, N.S., et al. (2005). Psychiatric disorders and mental health service use among caregivers of advanced cancer patients. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 23, 6899–6907.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weitzner, M.A., McMillan, S.C., & Jacobsen, P.B. (1999). Family caregiver quality of life: Differences between curative and palliative cancer treatment settings. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 17, 418–428.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yee, J.L. & Schulz, R. (2000). Gender differences in psychiatric morbidity among family caregivers: A review and analysis. Gerontologist, 40, 147–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar