J Korean Soc Biol Ther Psychiatry.
2022 Jun;28(2):57-66.
Spinal Cord Injury From the Psychiatric Perspective
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Psychiatry, National Rehabilitation Center, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Seoul, Korea
Abstract
- Spinal cord injury is a devastating condition in which motor, sensory, and autonomic nerve functions are impaired due to traumatic or non-traumatic causes on the spinal cord. Patients with spinal cord injuries may experience paralysis caused by nerve damage secondary to various physical complications such as pain, spasticity, neurogenic bladder, neurogenic bowel, pressure ulcer, and sexual dysfunction. These physical symptoms of patients with spinal cord injuries bring about psychological difficulties, ranging from emotional reactions such as sadness and feelings of low selfesteem to depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and suicidal tendencies. Conversely, mental health problems in patients with spinal cord injuries can also have negative effects on physical complications such as neuropathic pain and pressure ulcers, as well as rehabilitation therapy and prognosis. In other words, the physical and psychiatric symptoms of a patient with spinal cord injury bidirectionally influence each other. Existing medical approaches focus only on the physical rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries and do not recognize these patients’ need for mental health support. Therefore, screening, evaluation, and appropriate management for psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and suicidal tendencies in clinical practice are required, which may ultimately benefit the quality of life and prognosis of patients with spinal cord injuries.
