Not enough mental health support for people with spinal cord injury

People with a spinal cord injury are not receiving the mental health support they should, according to a new report.

The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) have created a report putting a spotlight on the mental health of people with spinal cord injuries entitled “It’s Not Just Physical” following on from ‘Time to Talk Day’, the nation’s biggest mental health conversation, last week.

In the report they are calling for more psychological support at all stages of the post-injury journey. This includes immediately following their spinal cord injury, when they are discharged from hospital, and for the rest of their lives.

The charity believes that medical staff who are supporting SCI people must also understand how their physical problems can impact their mental health. They say how "the psychological damage caused by a spinal cord injury is, at best, considered as an afterthought, and at worst, completely ignored by the medical profession."

In the report, Nik Hartley OBE, Chief Executive of the SIA said:

“Above all, this report shows that for too long, spinal cord injury has been dealt with almost entirely through the lens of the physical condition by healthcare planners and policymakers, while the reality emerging from this research reveals the massive and underserved mental health needs experienced by so many of our members and their families. Allowing SCI people to suffer from often treatable psychological conditions is totally unacceptable. Change must happen and must happen now.”

The SIA have created a bursary scheme to offer more mental health support for the family and friends of SCI people, expanding it to include peer support and regional support networks as part of the follow up counselling.

As part of the scheme, the SIA will commission further research into testing interventions which will help SCI people manage their mental health symptoms including cognitive behavioural therapy, eye-movement desensitisation processing, acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness.

For the SCI patients surveyed, the most common mental health problems experienced were depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress (PTSD) due to ongoing pain and being of low socio-economic status. The length of time between requesting and getting mental health support was another key factor.

A new proposal for screening and monitoring of patients has been introduced to help recognise how prevalent psychological and mental health conditions are following a spinal cord injury. The recommendations are to screen for mood, substance use and pain during outpatient reviews, referring patients on for treatment if that is required. This means, those who are identified with ongoing mental health problems, will be referred for appropriate treatment.

Sami Palmer-Latif, personal injury solicitor at Potter Rees Dolan and Secretary of the Merseyside Branch of the Spinal Injuries Association, said:

“SCI patients’ varied and complex physical needs demand intensive clinical input, but it is also essential that their psychological needs are not overlooked from the acute stage of their recovery through to the post discharge stage. Peer support networks play an invaluable role in helping improve SCI patients’ wellbeing, self-esteem and confidence but they alone are not enough.

During the Covid pandemic restricted access for individuals providing these services to hospitals and rehabilitation facilities further highlighted the lacuna in psychological support on offer. it is hoped that there a more structured and timely approach through appropriate screening tools combined with different modalities of treatment will help to ameliorate the potential severity and chronicity of secondary psychological conditions which can have a major bearing on wellbeing and independence.”

The full report from the Spinal Injuries Association can be found here: “It’s Not Just Physical”.

Sami Palmer-Latif is a Solicitor in personal injury here at Potter Rees Dolan. Should you have any queries about spinal injury or indeed any other aspect of personal injury and wish to speak to Sami or any other member of the team, please contact us on 0800 027 2557 or contact Sami directly.