Depression and Cancer (3 credit hours)

Program Summary:  This course explores the topic of depression in cancer patients and offers a discussion of risk factors, symptoms, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.  Common depression screening tools are identified along with suggested questions for the clinical interview.  Interventions including coping strategies, antidepressant medications, and psychotherapies are highlighted.  Cancer is a risk factor for suicide, and information on the assessment and management of suicide risk in cancer patients is given.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

Reading #1 Depression (PDQ)  Reading #2 Rates of Suicides Related to Cancers is Declining by Sharon Reynolds Publisher: National Cancer Institute

Book Icon Open the Course Reading Here.

Course Objectives:  To enhance professional practice, values, skills and knowledge by exploring depression and cancer.

Learning Objectives:  Describe the assessment and diagnosis of depression in the cancer population.  Describe treatment interventions and strategies for adjustment and coping.  Identify risk factors for suicide.

Course Available Until: July 31, 2029.

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1: Overview//  Depression is a comorbid, disabling syndrome that affects up to approximately ____________ of cancer patients.
 
 
 
 
2: Which of the following is a possible cause of depressive symptoms in people with cancer?
 
 
 
 
 
 
3: In multiple regression analysis, there is strong association between sense of burden to others and actual degree of physical dependency.
 
 
4: Strategies to promote psychological adjustment to a diagnosis of cancer and other diseases include all of the following except:
 
 
 
 
5: Direct communication of information within the family was associated with ___________ levels of anxiety.
 
 
6: Assessment and Diagnosis//  Certain cancers- such as head and neck cancers and pancreatic cancer- carry a high risk of depression.
 
 
7: Among the physically ill, simply asking the patient whether he or she is depressed may improve the identification of depression.
 
 
8: To make a diagnosis of depression, the clinician confirms that these symptoms have lasted at least _________ weeks and are present on most days.
 
 
 
 
9: More than __________ of patients indicate that they prefer to discuss emotional issues with their physician.
 
 
 
 
10: Intervention//  The decision to initiate therapy for depression depends partly on the probability that the patient will recover spontaneously in the next _________.
 
 
 
 
11: Referral for a psychiatric consultation should be considered if the depressive symptoms treated by the primary physician are resistant to pharmacological interventions after __________ of intervention.
 
 
 
 
12: Which antidepressants are most commonly used in patients with cancer because they have better safety-tolerability profiles than other antidepressants?
 
 
 
 
13: Which of the following describes the syndrome associated with abrupt discontinuation of SSRIs?
 
 
 
 
14: Generally, there is a latency period- ____________ from initiation of antidepressant medications to the onset of a therapeutic response.
 
 
 
 
15: Which type of intervention focuses on intrusive thoughts, often challenging their accuracy or rationality and noting specific patterns of cognitive distortions?
 
 
 
 
16: Suicide Risk in Cancer Patients//  Studies have consistently found higher risk of suicide in the first year after diagnosis, especially in the first ________.
 
 
 
 
17: Risk factors for suicide in the cancer population include:
 
 
 
 
 
18: "Do you have thoughts of suicide?  Have you thought about how you would do it?  Do you intend to harm yourself?" assesses for
 
 
 
 
19: "Have you ever been depressed or made a suicide attempt?" assesses for
 
 
 
 
20: "Have you lost anyone close to you recently?" assesses for
 
 
 
 

In order to purchase or take this course, you will need to log in. If you do not have an account, you will need to register for a free account.

After you log in, a link will appear here that will allow you to purchase this course.

Review our pre-reading study guide.

G.M. Rydberg-Cox, MSW, LSCSW is the Continuing Education Director at Free State Social Work and responsible for the development of this course.  She received her Masters of Social Work in 1996 from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience.  She has lived and worked as a social worker in Chicago, Boston, and Kansas City.  She has practiced for many years in the area of hospital/medical social work.  The reading materials for this course were developed by another organization.

Course Available Until: July 31, 2029.
Filed under: Clinical, Healthcare