Mental Health Utilization Increased Around Time of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2024 -- There is an increase in psychotropic medication use and mental health service use around the time of prostate cancer diagnosis, according to a study published online July 3 in Psycho-Oncology.
Tenaw Tiruye, Ph.D., from the University of South Australia in Adelaide, and colleagues used registry data linked to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare Benefits Schedule data for 13,693 prostate cancer patients diagnosed between 2012 and 2020 to estimate the proportion and rates of psychotropic medication and mental health service use before and after diagnosis.
The researchers found that 15 percent of men started psychotropic medications and 6.4 percent sought out mental health services for the first time after diagnosis. From five years before to five years after diagnosis, psychotropic medication use rose from 34.5 to 40.3 percent, including an increase in use of antidepressants (from 20.7 to 26.0 percent) and anxiolytics (from 11.3 to 12.8 percent). The mental health service use increase (from 10.2 to 12.1 percent) occurred mostly from general practice mental health visits (from 7.8 to 10.6 percent). A significant rise in medication and service utilization immediately before and in the first two years following prostate cancer diagnosis was revealed in interrupted time series analyses.
"Mental health outcomes of men with prostate cancer may be improved with early mental health screening, particularly during the diagnosis process, to enable early intervention," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Mental Health, Neurodevelopmental Diagnoses in Publicly Insured Children on the Rise
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- The percentage of publicly insured children receiving any mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis significantly increased between 2010...
Risky Health Behaviors Tied to Poorer Mental Well-Being, General Health in Midlife
MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- Risky health behaviors, both current and cumulatively over time, are associated with poorer mental well-being and self-reported health, according to a...
Burnout Still High for Veterans Health Administration Health Care Workers
MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- Burnout remains above prepandemic levels for health care workers at the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA), according to a study published online...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.