Reuters (8/29, Doyle) reports that research published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery suggests that depression may be common among individuals who have survived head and neck cancer, but these patients rarely seek help for the mental health. Investigators looked at questionnaire responses from more than 200 survivors of head and neck cancer who had undergone radiation treatment. The researchers found that while a small proportion of the individuals found to report the highest levels of depression took antidepressants or underwent psychotherapy one year after completing radiation treatments, none of these patients were receiving such mental health treatments five years after radiation.
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— “Few head and neck cancer survivors seek mental help, “Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, August 28, 2013.