Cancer related Post Traumatic Stress and Depression in Women Patients and Survivors Rathee Neelam Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Post Graduate Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh. 160011. India Online published on 20 September, 2019. Abstract As the number of cancer survivors increase due to continued improvements in cancer screening and treatment, the quality-of-life of cancer survivors becomes an important concern. Cancer not only affects the physical health, it can also give rise to many psychological problems. Even after successful treatment, the psychological, social, and physical well-being of cancer survivors is challenged by increased risk of depression, cancer-related distress, and fear of recurrence. With the inclusion of “life-threatening illness” as a diagnostic criterion for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV, and DSM-IV-TR (Text Revised), people with histories of cancer are now assessed and considered at risk for posttraumatic stress (PTS) and other related symptoms. Review suggests that PTS has been studied in a variety of cancers, including melanoma, lymphoma, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and mixed cancers. However, factors associated with the higher prevalence for the development of PTS and PTSD, have not been extensively studied. The present study is an attempt to assess the prevalence of PTSD and Depression among women cancer patients and survivors from the city of Chandigarh with relation to the age of patients at the onset of cancer and their socio-economic status. The findings have been discussed in relation to the factors suggesting which patients might be at increased risk for the development of PTSD and Depression resulting in poor well-being and quality of life. Top Keywords Cancer, Stress, PTSD, Depression, Well-being, Women patients. Top |