To determine the frequency of Depressive Disorder among patients with breast cancer in an outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.

Cancer not only affects body physically but can also affect the mind in the form of psychiatric disorder. Proper identification and treatment of these conditions can be beneficial and cost-effective.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on patients of breast cancer attending OPD of oncology department of Civil Hospital Karachi. The sample consisted of ninety three diagnosed patients of breast cancer who were screened for psychiatric morbidity through Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD Scale). Screened patients were interviewed and diagnosed as depressive disorder according to ICD criteria. The level of depression in these diagnosed patients was quantified through ZUNG’S Depression Rating Scale.

Eighty two percent (n=76) of the sample (n=93) were found to have psychiatric morbidity on HAD scale. Out of these screened sample sixty percent (n=46) were found to be depressed on Zung self rating depression scale. Majority of these patients were suffering from mild to moderate depression. Half of the female in this sample were undergone mastectomy that was not found to have any statistically significant impact on psychiatric morbidity of the patient.

This study shows high prevalence of depression in patients with breast cancer. The health professional involve in care of breast cancer should screen routinely their patients for symptoms of depression.