Clinical characteristics of depressive disorders in inpatients with malignant tumours

Existing clinical studies on depression of Chinese cancer patients focus on depressive symptoms; very few studied depressive disorders, which are more clinically relevant. This study investigated the prevalence and clinical characteristics of depressive disorders among inpatients with malignant tumours. Two trained psychiatrists interviewed 413 cancer inpatients, who were admitted to the oncology department, with the Chinese version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Socio-demographic and cancer-related variables of these patients were also collected. Prevalence of depressive disorders among inpatients with malignant tumours was 22.0%. Patients who were 18-59 years old, unmarried, with distant metastasis of cancer, a duration of time since cancer diagnosis ≤1.5 years, received palliative care, and had breast cancer were at higher risk for depressive disorders. Inpatients of the oncology department have high prevalence of depressive disorders. Oncologists should pay more attention to the mental health problems of these patients.