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Abstract
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Suicide is at least 3 times more common in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) than in individuals without SCI, and anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at least twice as prevalent. Substance use is also significantly more prevalent. However, even though individuals with SCI usually have contact with health care professionals, these mental health disorders are often not recognized and therefore often not addressed optimally, perhaps because of the other more obvious physical health impairments caused by SCI and the stigma that surrounds mental health disorders.
This clinical practice guideline (CPG), which has been in development for over 15 years, is long overdue. Fortunately, however, during this time, progress has been made in recognizing the extent of the problem and beginning to evaluate potential treatments. This CPG has been rigorously developed with the thought that implementable things can be done to improve the recognition and treatment of mental health disorders, specifically depression and anxiety, PTSD, substance use disorders, and suicide prevention. It is anticipated that this important and practical work will educate clinicians about the scope of the problems and raise awareness about the availability of the means to accurately diagnose and treat these disorders.
We are fortunate to have the representation of all the various stakeholders in the development and peer review of this CPG, including all of the subspecialists who are impacted by these recommendations, ranging from experts in psychiatry and psychology to rehabilitation professionals. We hope that this wide- ranging representation will translate into uniform quality practice through the widespread use of this CPG to guide the detection and treatment of mental health and substance use disorder in all settings, which can only result in the best outcomes and least amount of morbidity and mortality for individuals who experience SCI.
Language: en |