Addressing mental health problems in Australians with cerebral palsy: a need for specialist mental health services

ABSTRACT

Background: The prevalence of mental illness in people with cerebral palsy is higher than that of the general population. In Australia there are few mental health services that are adequately prepared to address the unique mental health concerns of people with cerebral palsy.

Aim: Our aim is to raise awareness that specialist mental health services are lacking in Australia, and to urge healthcare workers to address this.

Method: A brief perspective piece describing the current lack of specialist mental health services available in Australia for people with cerebral palsy.

Conclusion: Our commentary emphasises the importance of addressing mental health problems in Australians with cerebral palsy. It provides actions that need to be implemented to improve the recognition and treatment of mental illness in people with cerebral palsy.

KEYWORDS:

• Cerebral palsy
• neurodisability
• psychiatric disorders
• mental health services

Acknowledgements

No acknowledgments reported by authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was undertaken as part of the National Health and Medical Research Council funded Centre of Research Excellence (CP-Achieve) (Grant ID: APP1171758). DR and DC are investigators and RE is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow.