Adults living with spinal cord injury (SCI) have an almost 80 per cent increased risk of developing psychological conditions, such as depression and anxiety, compared to people without the traumatic injury, a new study shows.
The research revealed that people living with a spinal cord injury were diagnosed with a mental health condition more often than those without the injury – 59.1 per cent as compared to 30.9 per cent.
The Michigan Medicine-led team also found that chronic pain among adults living with SCI can have an equally significant negative effect, and is closely associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders and other mental health conditions.
In most cases, said the research team, chronic pain was an even greater influence on these conditions than exposure to living with the injury itself.
The findings come from analysis of private insurance claims of more than 9,000 adults with a traumatic SCU and more than a million adults without. They accounted for a range of psychological conditions, from anxiety and mood disorders to insomnia and dementia.
Researchers say the findings should prompt healthcare professionals to identify mental health conditions when seeing patients with SCI and refer them to mental health providers for treatment.
“Improved clinical efforts are needed to facilitate screening of, and early treatment for, both chronic pain and psychological health in this higher-risk population,” said Dr Mark Peterson, lead author of the paper and associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine.
However, researchers note a lack of insurance coverage and limited available services will likely cause the issue to remain largely unaddressed.
“Stakeholders need to work together to lobby for more federal research funding and special policy amendments to ensure adequate and long-term insurance coverage for both physical and mental health to meet the needs of folks living with spinal cord injuries,” Dr Peterson said.
