ABSTRACT

It is common to believe that depression can lead to more severe disease. Breast cancer is the most studied cancer in terms of its psychosocial effects and not surprisingly, many studies of the prevalence of depression in cancer are studies of women with breast cancer. Aim: To determine the level of depressive syndrome in breast cancer patients by using the BDI questionnaire. Method: The respondents amounted to 66 breast cancer patients who come to the Clinic of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery at Adam Malik Hospital, and Hospital Haji Medan. Results: It was found that moderate depressive syndrome was most prevalent in patients with breast cancer (42.4%), followed by severe (25.8%), mild (19.7%) and minimal (12.1%) depression severity.