Mental Health Is an Integral Part of Spine Care

Today we observe World Mental Health Mental Day. Unfortunately, mental health of spine patients is not something often addressed when treating a patient. Yet it is an aspect of care that each physician should take into consideration, especially when treating patients with a spinal injury.

“Caring for adults with spinal cord injury [we] need to be aware of the increased risk of developing mental health disorders in [our] patient population[s]. This may be particularly important during these recent times of social distancing due to COVID-19, as these patients often already experience social isolation.”

Mental health is an important part of a complete approach to spine care. Researchers at Michigan Medicine found adults with spinal cord injury are at higher risk of developing depression and anxiety. In fact, adults with a spinal cord injury had a higher incidence of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders or were found to have more than two mental health conditions, as compared to adults without spinal cord injury.

So much of past research around spinal cord injury patients focused on the physical health outcomes. The study focuses uniquely on highlighting the need for treating physicians to understand patient’s mental health as well as their clinical care needs. This is critical to ensuring the overall quality of life and well-being in our patients as spine care specialists.