Suicidal behavior in women with breast cancer

A review of the literature on suicidal behavior in patients with breast cancer (BC) is presented. It is noted that breast cancer is a serious disease, in which, from the moment of detection, treatment and the entire subsequent period of observation, many women have an increased risk of suicide, usually twice the population average. Factors associated with the disease (traumatic surgery and its consequences, changes in body image, and, with progression, somatic symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, decreased ability to self-care), as well as those traditionally characterizing suicidal activity in the population (mental illnesses, loneliness, divorce, etc.), with a minimal role of alcohol and surfactants. The authors draw attention to the fact that despite the high relevance of issues of suicide prevention in cancer patients, there are currently no systematically developed prevention programs implemented at the state and other levels. With the exception of certain initiative territories, a system for identifying, registering and recording suicidal actions of this contingent has not been developed, which does not allow assessing the scale of the problem and calculating the necessary volume and nature of preventive measures. All this indicates the relevance and importance of a deeper study of the issues of suicidal behavior of breast cancer patients, the development and improvement of prevention measures, and their implementation in clinical practice.