DETECTION OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN CANCER-PATIENTS

In this study, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale has been adapted to suit Indian cancer patients to obtain the optimal scores which would suggest the likelihood of psychiatric disorder. Consecutive cancer patients were included and a standard clinical psychiatric interview was conducted to make a psychiatric diagnosis in accordaance with the DSM-III R. All the patients were administered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Specificity and Sensitivity were computed for different cut-off scores for the HADS subscales as well as the total HADS scores. The cut-off score of 7 on the anxiety subscale gave the sensitivity and specificity values of 87% and 79% respectively, whereas a cut-off score of 8 on depression subscale gave the sensitivity and specificity values of 75% and 76% respectively and these seem to be optimal. The specificity and sensitivity values of the total scale scores at cut-off scores of 16 and 17 gave good values of sensitivity and specificity, as 85% and 88%, and 82% and 91% respectively. At present, like in other countries, HADS seems to be the best screening instrument for Indian cancer patients, for simple and rapid evaluation of psychological morbidity and interventions with cancer patients.