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Maintaining Well-being: Depression and Anxiety in Men with Prostate Cancer and Their Partners

Duration: 57 minutes

Program ID: 1005 | Purchase Price: $105.00 (DVD)

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australian men and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men. One in nine men in Australia will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. Each year in Australia, more than 20,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 3,000 men die, which is slightly higher than the number of women who die from breast cancer annually.

Men with prostate cancer report higher levels of depression than the general community however, the rate of depression and anxiety in their partners is even greater – more than double the normal rate for the Australian community.

There are many types of anxiety disorders, each with a range of symptoms. A number of different factors surrounding diagnosis, treatment and remission of prostate cancer may contribute to the development of an anxiety disorder in men and their partners.  For example, concerns about Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels, concerns about treatment decisions, potential side-effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction, and fear of recurrence of the cancer, may compound the person’s anxiety.

However, depression in men with prostate cancer is often overlooked and therefore under-diagnosed.

This program assists health professionals to identify depression and anxiety disorders in men with prostate cancer, provides information about various treatments for depression and anxiety disorders, and provides information about how best to support families and carers of men with prostate cancer. It also discusses diagnosis, management, and treatment of the different stages/forms of depression and anxiety disorders in men with prostate cancer.

Program Presenters

  • Chair: Dr Norman Swan - Presenter of the Health Report on ABC Radio National
  • Mr Colin Bartlett - Consumer, NSW
  • Professor Suzanne Chambers - Director of Research and General Manager Services, Cancer Council Queensland
  • Dr Caroline Johnson - General Practitioner and Medical Educator, Victorian Metropolitan Alliance, Melbourne, VIC
  • Mr Peter Strange - Bendigo Community Health Services
See details of presenters for this program

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the links between prostate cancer and depression and anxiety
  • Identify and assess depression and anxiety in men with prostate cancer
  • Access the Better Access initiative, referral pathways and available resources
  • Implement strategies to support families and carers of men with prostate cancer

Broadcast Dates

This program was first broadcast on the Foundation's satellite network on Tuesday 18 May 2010.

Funding Bodies

This program is funded by beyondblue: the national depression initiative and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Accreditation

This program is accredited or endorsed for CPD/CPE by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, the Royal College of Nursing Australia and the Australian Physiotherapy Association.