ABSTRACT
Cancer is a much feared disease. The course of the disease can be unpredictable and associated with unpleasant treatments such as surgical interventions, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Several studies have examined the relationship between cancer and mental disorders, and an increased risk for mental disorders in cancer patients has been found. In the period from 1959 to 1962 Campell compared all suicides in Connecticut to the Connecticut Tumor Registry. Twenty-four suicides among the cancer patients were found. The results showed that cancer patients had an increased risk of suicide compared to the background population. In Sweden, Gezelius and Eriksson examined 7,021 consecutive forensic autopsies, among which 1,060 were suicides. Cancer was found in 2.2 percent of the suicides, and 1 percent of the remaining autopsies. A closer examination revealed that approximately one-third of the suicides were not connected with the cancer.
