Researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center have reported that twenty-three percent of women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This PTSD diagnosis is especially seen among African-American and Asian women, as well as women under the age of fifty.
This was the first study to the presence of PTSD symptoms after breast cancer diagnosis. The researchers analyzed telephone call responses of 1,139 women. The surveys showed that during the first two to three months after breast cancer diagnosis, nearly a quarter of the women met the criteria for PTSD. It was also noted, however, that the symptoms declined over the next three months.
The researchers emphasized that the ultimate outcome of their research is to find methods of improving the quality of patient’s lives. If potential risk factors for PTSD can be identified, then early prevention and intervention could be provided post-breast cancer diagnosis to minimize PTSD symptoms.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257116.php
