Suicidal ideation and psychiatric help-seeking behavior in colorectal cancer patients

AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the demographic, clinical, and psychiatric factors that affect the suicide risk and psychiatric help-seeking behavior in colorectal cancer patients. The findings of the study will contribute to a better understanding of suicide risk and psychiatric help-seeking behavior in patients with cancer and are intended to help develop more effective intervention strategies for these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study looked at 97 people with colorectal cancer who were getting treatment at a cancer hospital between September 2023 and April 2024. RESULTS: Increasing age of the patients; the presence of mental illness in the family, psychiatric diagnosis before cancer and psychiatric complaints after cancer were found to increase the risk of suicide. Increased number of relapses, surgeries and hospitalizations, decreased functionality caused by the disease were found to increase the risk of suicide, and increased depression, anxiety and insomnia scale scores were found to increase the risk of suicide. Increasing the number of people at home and living in rural areas were found to decrease the attitude of seeking psychiatric help. Having anxiety symptoms was found to increase the attitude of seeking psychiatric help. No significant difference was found between suicide risk and psychiatric help seeking behavior. CONCLUSION: Suicide risk in cancer patients is a multidimensional problem and a multidisciplinary approach should be adopted to reduce this risk. Both healthcare professionals and society should be sensitive to the psychological needs of cancer patients and provide them with the necessary support. In this way, the quality of life of cancer patients can be improved and the risk of suicide can be reduced. Keywords: Cancer, suicide, help seeking behaviour, psychiatry