Thursday, May 22, 2008

Medication May Prevent Depression In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer

Taking the antidepressant citalopram before beginning treatment for head and neck cancer may help prevent depression during therapy, according to results of a pilot study.

"Treatment for head and neck cancer can be arduous and debilitating," the authors write as background information in the article. "Psychiatric morbidity in these patients is frequent and underdiagnosed. Major depressive disorder has been reported in up to 40 percent of patients with head and neck cancer, typically within the first three months of diagnosis."

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