Is it time to discard the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) in psycho-oncology?
Abstract
Cancer survivors (broadly defined as people living with or beyond a cancer diagnosis) commonly face significant mental health challenges [2]. Through all stages of survivorship, cancer survivors are at a considerably heightened risk, when compared to the general population, of developing a broad range of psychopathology related to mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders, amongst others [2]. Further, cancer survivors' psychopathology is often characterised by the co-occurrence of multiple disorders [2,3]. Psychopathology in cancer survivors is predictive of a wide range of outcomes across biological, psychological, and social domains. For example, psychological distress has been found to be an independent predictor of cancer recurrence, risk of metastasis, and overall poor prognosis [4,5], and emerging pre-clinical evidence suggests that psychological distress may negatively impact the efficacy of some cancer treatments [6], although exact mechanisms are unknown. Further, psychopathology has significant implications for cancer survivors’ return to work [7], relationships [8], and overall quality of life [9]. Ultimately, given the significant implications of psychopathology within cancer survivorship, it is essential to critically consider the validity of the conceptualisation of psychopathology used to guide research and clinical practice.
Keywords
Cancer, Diagnosis, Dimensional, DSM, Hierarchical, HiTOP, Mental health, Psycho-oncology, Supportive care, Survivorship
Document Type
Editorial
Date of Publication
5-1-2024
Article Number
216818
Volume
589
PubMed ID
38554804
Publication Title
Cancer Letters
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences / Exercise Medicine Research Institute
Funding Information
No funding was received for the completion of this work. DH is a MASCC Cognition Fellowship Recipient. NHH receives salary support from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as an Investigator Fellow (APP2018070). SLR is supported by an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (GNT1154651). AGCW is supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01 AA026879, R01 MH048463, R01 MH131606). RFK was supported partly by National Institutes of Health grants R01AG053217, R01AG077742
Funding received from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
APP2018070, GNT1154651
Copyright
subscription content
Content Type
Metadata only
Recommended Citation
Haywood, D., Kotov, R., Krueger, R. F., Wright, A. G. C., Forbes, M. K., Dauer, E., . . . Hart, N. H. (2024). Is it time to discard the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) in psycho-oncology? [Editorial]. Cancer Letters, 589, Article 216818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216818
Comments
Haywood, D., Kotov, R., Krueger, R. F., Wright, A. G. C., Forbes, M. K., Dauer, E., . . . Hart, N. H. (2024). Is it time to discard the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) in psycho-oncology? [Editorial]. Cancer Letters, 589, article 216818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216818