ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Depression, Anxiety Rarely Assessed in Patients with Otolaryngologic Disorders

by Jennifer L.W. Fink • April 1, 2014

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

You Might Also Like

  • Screening Tools for Mental Health Disorders
  • Diagnosing and Treating Depression in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
  • Otolaryngologists Can Play Vital Role in Helping Patients Manage Depression
  • Depression Primary Driver of Lost Productivity in Patients with CRS
Explore This Issue
April 2014


Early in his career, William Lydiatt, MD, a head and neck surgeon, noticed that some of his patients seemed depressed, while others seemed happier, and that his patients’ moods didn’t necessarily correspond with the severity of their disease or degree of treatment-related disability.

“Some of my patients had undergone chemoradiation, had intact larynxes, and, overall, looked and functioned pretty normally. Others had total laryngectomies and were speaking with an electrolarynx, and they seemed happier. I wondered, ‘Is there a difference, or is it just my imagination?’” said Dr. Lydiatt, currently director of head and neck surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. “I wanted to know why some people seemingly didn’t do as well as others.”

Dr. Lydiatt’s curiosity spurred him to study the link between mental health and head and neck cancer. What he found was sobering. Published depression rates for patients with head and neck cancer range from 15% to 50% (Clin Adv Hematol Oncol. 2009;7:397-403). The suicide rate for head and neck cancer patients is three to four times that of the general public (JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013;139:678-686; JAMA. 2006;296:1716-1717). Depression is not related to the severity of disease or to treatment modality, making it difficult to predict which patients will suffer from depression. Yet, depression has profound effects on patients’ lives and may affect their survival, because patients who feel hopeless and depressed may make different treatment decisions than patients who feel a sense of well-being. Depressed patients also take more treatment breaks (Clin Adv Hematol Oncol. 2009;7:397-403).

These issues are not restricted to head and neck cancer. Jeremiah Alt, MD, PhD, assistant professor of the otolaryngology-rhinology and skull base surgery program at the University of Utah, estimates that approximately 30% of patients with chronic sinusitis have depression, while up to 78% percent have reduced sleep quality that significantly impacts their overall quality of life. A 2014 study of depression in adults with hearing loss found that 11.4% of individuals with difficulty hearing also had moderate or severe depression, compared with 4.9% of individuals with excellent hearing (JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. [Published online March 6, 2014.] doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2014.42.). People with un- or under-treated allergies have a higher incidence of depression than people who don’t have allergies. And patients with sleep apnea who have excessive daytime sleepiness are also prone to depression (PLoS One. 2010; 5:e10211). Anxiety and depression are also commonly seen in patients with tinnitus and sinus and voice difficulties.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 | Single Page

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: anxiety, depression, mental health, Otolaryngologic disorders, otolaryngologist, patient careIssue: April 2014

You Might Also Like:

  • Screening Tools for Mental Health Disorders
  • Diagnosing and Treating Depression in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
  • Otolaryngologists Can Play Vital Role in Helping Patients Manage Depression
  • Depression Primary Driver of Lost Productivity in Patients with CRS

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • A Look at the Latest Research on Subglottic Stenosis
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • COVID-19 Impacts on Physician Contracts
    • Do Perioperative Systemic Corticosteroids Improve Cochlear Implant Hearing Preservation?
    • Is Betahistine Effective in the Treatment of Ménière’s Disease?
    • What Is the Role of Radiofrequency Ablation for Benign Thyroid Nodules?
    • Is Preoperative Computed Tomography Necessary for Primary Stapes Surgery?

Polls

Do you ever talk about politics with your patients during appointments?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.