Health Behavior News Service
Psychological distress among people with disabilities is to be reduced with a higher prevalence of other chronic diseases and health care and access to health services, concludes a new study in the Journal of medical care for the poor and under served.
KEY POINTS
- Almost a third of adults with disabilities report moderate to severe psychological distress.
- Chronic disease in adults who have a disability and severe mental stress have more in common.
- Adults with disabilities and mental disorders reported reduced access to health care and prevention services.
About 30 percent of adults with disabilities reported moderate to severe psychological distress, with over 12 percent reporting heavy psychological burden.
"It is important to know why there are since the prevention, detection and treatment of sequelae for the preservation of health, halting the progression of disability, and help people with disabilities, alive partake so little progress," he said.
The study analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System, a telephone survey in 2007 carried out by most state health authorities in collaboration with the CDC.
About 30 percent of adults with disabilities reported moderate to severe psychological distress, with over 12 percent reporting heavy psychological burden.
Adults who reported that they have a severe disability and mental illness have a higher prevalence of seven chronic diseases and conditions, arthritis, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cerebrovascular events compared to adults who do not do mental diseases. Disabled adults with moderate psychological distress, higher rates of these conditions except diabetes.
"Was found a strong association between an increasing number of chronic health problems and the frequency of severe mental stress," Okoro said. "For example, the prevalence of severe mental stress was about twice as high as for those with five to seven chronic diseases compared to those without the condition."
We also found that adults 18 to 64 years with a disability and have moderate to severe psychological distress on multiple barriers to access to health care. They were more likely to be uninsured and can not pay for the care of persons who have no problems. The researchers found that the use of mental health services increased with the severity of psychological distress, but in the not reported a higher proportion of elderly heavy psychological burden receive mental health care compared to their younger colleagues. "It is possible that this is due to competing health conditions, stigmatization or avoidance," Okoro said.
The study shows that a relatively small number, but very vulnerable population bears the brunt of poor physical and mental health, says Benjamin Druss, MD, a psychiatrist at Emory University. "These problems are usually confuse with each other, so that a person who has physical problems, are more stressed about their problems, especially if they can get medical care," he says. "It is not easy to disentangle these issues, but these people should be treated holistically, with a view of your mental health, physical health and psychosocial problems," he added.
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For more information:
Registered Health Behavior News Service, the Center for Health Promotion at (202) 387-2829 or hbns-editor@cfah.org
Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved: Contact Editor Virginia M. Brennan at (615) 327-6819 or vbrennan@mmc.edu. Online, on the Internet at http :/ / www.press.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_health_care_for_the_poor_and_underserved/
Okoro A, Dhingra SS, and Li C. A triple play: mental stress, physical comorbidities, and the access and use of health services among U.S. adults with disabilities J Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 2014 .. (25): 814 - 836