Factores de riesgo de suicidio en pacientes oncológicos en cuidados paliativos: revisión sistemática

Abstract

Suicidal ideation in people suffering from oncological diseases has not been studied in depth, but statistics indicate that suicide rates are higher in this population than in the general population, evidencing the need for a psychological approach from palliative care, which seeks to improve the quality of life through the physical, emotional and mental well-being of the patient. Depression as one of the main emotional disorders is one of the risk factors for the cancer patient. The aim of this article is to present the current status of risk factors predisposing cancer patients to suicide in the palliative care phase. A systematic review of articles published between 2009 and 2020, with the descriptors: suicide, oncology, risk factors, palliative care, was carried out, finding 133 articles of which 40 were selected, assisted suicide and euthanasia were excluded since they are considered to be the object of an independent analysis. It can be concluded that the main risk factors for suicidal ideation in oncological patients are depression, pain and the absence of support networks, and therefore psychological accompaniment in this stage of the disease is fundamental since it will allow for a timely decrease in risk.