Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients with Depression Receiving Citalopram and Supportive Group Psychotherapy: A Six-month Longitudinal Study

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder in patients with breast cancer. This study was performed to follow-up breast cancer patients with depression receiving citalopram and group psychotherapy for six months. This clinical trial was conducted in 40 breast cancer patients with depressive disorder. Among the patients, 20 received citalopram (20-40 mg/day) and the rest, besides the same dose of citalopram, attended 8 sessions of group psychotherapy. The patients were assessed at baseline and six months later. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and WHO-QOL BREF questionnaires were administered. Then treatment outcomes and quality of life were compared between the two groups applying t-test. The mean scores for depression and anxiety were 12.05±2.19 and 13.25±2.90 at baseline which declined to 2.05±2.06 and 4.55±2.42, respectively, after six months (P<0.05). Quality of life score in patients attending group psychotherapy sessions improved significantly after six months (80.86) compared to that at baseline (40.82), while slight changes were observed in the group receiving only citalopram (P<0.001). Citalopram and group psychotherapy were found to be significantly effective after six months on depression, anxiety, and quality of life in breast cancer patients with depressive disorder receiving citalopram.
(Clinical Trials Registry Number: IRCT2015063022991N1)