Mental Health and Spinal Cord Injury: Clinical Considerations for Rehabilitation Providers

Abstract

Purpose of Review Assessing and addressing the mental and behavioral health concerns of individuals with SCI during rehabilitation is crucial, as untreated mental health distress can lead to reduced gains in rehabilitation and poor overall health. This review provides an overview of the latest research on prevalence rates of common mental and behavioral health concerns in the SCI population, highlighting disability-specific factors that may impact traditional assessment and treatment of mental health concerns. Recent Findings While those with SCI are at a heightened risk for experiencing mental health distress, overall, the majority of those with SCI adapt well, and live a full and meaningful life. Summary Rehabilitation psychologists are a vital aspect of rehabilitation teams, as they can address behavioral health and mental health concerns that may impede patients achieving their rehabilitation goals.

“I am not the same as before”: a mixed-methods study on depression in people with spinal injury in Qatar

“…In addition to the direct impact of spinal injury on affective disorders, policy decisions that impact on care and support for people with spinal injury may also adversely affect neurological recovery, resulting in further increased levels of depression as well as other personal and economic burdens for both individuals and the health system ( 63 ). Delivering comprehensive care that includes depression diagnosis and treatment during acute and post-acute phases can mitigate the likelihood of depression and enhance overall quality of life by maximizing functional capabilities, promoting independence, ensuring overall wellbeing, and facilitating community integration to enable people with spinal injury to live full and meaningful lives ( 64 ). At a minimum, spinal injury care programs should include rehabilitation psychologists to facilitate the early detection of depression in people with spinal injury and timely referral to treatment ( 64 ).…”

“…Delivering comprehensive care that includes depression diagnosis and treatment during acute and post-acute phases can mitigate the likelihood of depression and enhance overall quality of life by maximizing functional capabilities, promoting independence, ensuring overall wellbeing, and facilitating community integration to enable people with spinal injury to live full and meaningful lives ( 64 ). At a minimum, spinal injury care programs should include rehabilitation psychologists to facilitate the early detection of depression in people with spinal injury and timely referral to treatment ( 64 ). Beyond this, access to valid, reliable, and consistent data is required for policy makers to develop evidence-based actions, and a spinal injury registry could provide access to data to support evidence-based practice to optimize continuity of care, rehabilitation services, and social support for people with spinal injury ( 63 ).…”

Digital psychosocial interventions for individuals with spinal cord injury: a scoping review

“…This could be due to the severity of the illness: various challenges exist, for example, limited mobility because of a wheelchair, lack of psychosocial support or the need for an assistant ( 8 , 10 ). Furthermore, barrier-free counselling rooms and accessible travel options are mandatory for individuals with SCI to receive adequate psychotherapeutic treatment ( 13 ).…”

Investigating the Effectiveness of a Family Intervention after Acquired Brain or Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…An injury can affect family functioning in the long-term, with increased emotional burden, high frequencies of symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower quality of life (QoL) reported up to 20 years after the injury [1,5,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Furthermore, despite the treatment provided from a formal health care system, informal care relies on family members, which can pose a significant caregiver burden [15,[18][19][20][21][22], causing an imbalance in the family system [2,23] and a threat to the family relationship [17,[24][25][26]. Increased levels of burden on family members can furthermore have an impact on their level of psychological distress, which can affect their ability to provide care.…”