Post-traumatic stress disorder is not common among women with breast cancer, but is more common in those who've got a past psychiatric history.
Getting a diagnosis of breast cancer is going to be highly stressful for most women. But it's not clear whether this bad news actually causes mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In PTSD, people experience recurrent images, thoughts, and flashbacks relating to their problem and may have difficulty in sleeping and concentration. Many report emotional numbness and may avoid talking about issues. In a new study, researchers at Ohio State University found that PTSD itself is not very common in women who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer. But of those who did have PTSD, around 80 per cent had a previous history of mood disorders, such as depression. This suggests that screening women for their past experience of mental health disorders might pinpoint those most at risk of PTSD following a diagnosis of breast cancer.