THE PREVALANCE OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN HEMATOLOGICAL CANCERS AND ADJUSTMENT DISORDERS

This study is included patients who were treated in the inpatient clinic of Hematology Department of İstanbul Medical Faculty and evaluated by a psychiatrist from Consultation Liasion Psychiatry Department between January 1994 and December 1998. A total of 323 patients examined by a consultation request or routine psychiatric evaluation was done for candidates of bone morrow transplantation and some of the patients were evaluated without formal request due to liason services. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and the prevalance of psychiatric disorders retrospectively in a large group of patients with a diagnosis of hematological cancer. 35% of patients were treated as acute myeloblastic leukemia and 8.7% as multipl myeloma. According to their psychiatric diagnosis; 30.3% were not meet the criteria for any psychiatric disorder and the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis was adjustment disorder, 40.3%. Major depression 11.5%, anxiety disorders 5.9% and delirium 5.6% were other frequent disorders.