Increased incidence of affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and non-natural mortality in women after breast cancer diagnosis: a nation-wide cohort study in Denmark

Objective: To investigate whether breast cancer patients have increased incidence of psychiatric admission with affective disorders. anxiety disorders, or non-natural mortality compared with the general female population, Method: Register-linkage between nation-wide registries: The Danish Psychiatric Central Register, The Danish Cancer Registry, and The Danish National Register of Causes of Death. A total of 61 709 women registered with primary invasive breast cancer between 1970 and 1993 were included and 356 023 person-years were accrued. Results: The standardized incidence ratio of first-ever psychiatric admission with affective disorder was 1.49 (95% CI: 1.35-1.63) and with anxiety disorder 1.25 (95% CI: 1.06-1.46). The standardized nonnatural mortality ratio during the first year after breast cancer diagnosis was 1.54 (95% Cl: 1.27-1.87). All analyses were adjusted for age. calendar period, and place of residence. Conclusion: Breast cancer patients have significantly increased incidence of psychiatric admission with affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and non-natural mortality.