Abstract

RODRIGUEZ, Valentina; SANCHEZ, Claudia; ROJAS, Nilda  and  ARTEAGA, Reina. Prevalencia de trastornos mentales en adolescentes con cáncer. Rev. venez. oncol. [online]. 2009, vol.21, n.4, pp.212-220. ISSN 0798-0582.

OBJECTIVES: The adolescents with cancer are exposed to many medical, emotional and social situations, which may predispose to mental disorders. With the goal to evaluate the prevalence or not of mental disorders in the adolescents with cancer, we evaluated to know the presence or absence of this pathology. METHODS: We study forty adolescents with cancer who consulted the unit of pediatric oncology of “Dr. Luis Razetti” Oncology Institute was studied through structured clinical interviews. The diagnosis was made according to the manual of mental disorders and behavior in children and adolescents guidelines (CIE-10). RESULTS: 65 % of adolescents have psychiatric diagnosis, 46 % of them has adaptatives disorders, in 42 % depressive episode and 12 % with anxiety generalized disorder, including mainly anxious depressive manifestations, irritability, excessive preoccupation and angry. CONCLUSION: We can observed the importance to known the emotional and psychological manifestations present in the course of treatment also the mental disorders in these adolescents how part of his adaptation process, these show the necessity of an multidisciplinary approach, with psychosocial has a relevant role, in these form not permit that these manifestations evolutional to mental disorders with the worse consequences to the patients mayor difficult to adapt to disease and a important less quality of life of these adolescents. We are emphasis in the prevention and in the psychological support in the beginning of the disease.

Keywords : Mental disorders; adolescents; cancer; pediatric oncology; psycho-oncology; adolescence.