Clinical assessment of depression in terminally ill cancer patients: a practical guide. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Depression is commonly experienced by cancer patients at the end of life. The identification of patients suffering from depression is essential to provide clinicians with an opportunity to relieve considerable suffering. However, the assessment of depressive symptoms is complex and often challenging in a terminally ill cancer population. This article offers practical guidelines to assist clinicians with the diagnosis of depression, reviews the defining symptoms of depression and their unique presentation in patients at the end of life, suggests modifications of the standard diagnostic interview, and provides examples of specific assessment questions to target depressive symptoms at the end of life.

publication date

  • December 1, 2005

Research

keywords

  • Depressive Disorder
  • Neoplasms
  • Personality Assessment
  • Terminal Care

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 34547981518

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1017/s1478951505050480

PubMed ID

  • 17039987

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 3

issue

  • 4