According to a new study, those with spinal cord injuries have a nearly 80% higher risk of acquiring psychological illnesses including depression and anxiety than those who do not have the severe injury. However, it was also claimed that persistent pain could have a similar deleterious impact on mental health.
A Michigan Medicine-led team of researchers reviewed private insurance claims from more than 9,000 persons with traumatic spinal cord injuries and more than 1 million adults without in the study, which was published in the journal 'Spinal Cord.'
They were found to be responsible for a wide range of psychiatric illnesses, including anxiety, mood disorders, sleeplessness, and dementia.
People who have had a spinal cord injury are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health problem than those who have not had one - 59.1% vs. 30.9 percent. While depression and other negative mental health impacts are not always the result of severe spinal injuries, previous research has repeatedly found that this group suffers from higher levels of psychological morbidity than the overall population.
Chronic centralized and neuropathic pain in adults living with a spinal cord injury, on the other hand, was found to be strongly linked to post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, and other mental health issues in this study. Chronic pain had a bigger impact on these illnesses than exposure to living with the injury itself in most circumstances.
The findings, according to the researchers, should motivate doctors to look for mental health issues in patients with spinal cord injuries and send them to mental health professionals for treatment.
"Improved clinical efforts are needed to facilitate screening for chronic pain and psychological health in this higher-risk population," said Mark Peterson, PhD, principal author of the study and associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine.
However, due to a lack of insurance coverage and limited available options, researchers believe the problem will go largely unresolved.
"Stakeholders must work together to fight for increased government research funding and particular policy adjustments to assure adequate and long-term physical and mental health insurance coverage to address the requirements of people with spinal cord injuries," Peterson said.
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