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Prior studies of depression after treatment for breast cancer have been hampered by cross-sectional design and short duration. Using a Danish national health database of almost 2 million women without histories of cancer or inpatient care for depression, investigators identified incident cases of breast cancer and first prescriptions for antidepressants or inpatient depression care from 1988–2011.
Among women with breast cancer diagnoses, compared with those who did not have breast cancer, the rate ratio (RR) for filling a prescription for an antidepressant was 3.1 during the first year after diagnosis, then declined but remained significantly elevated for up to 8 years after diagnosis. The RR for hospitalization for depression was 1.7 durin…