Psychiatry of whiplash neck injury.

BACKGROUND

The psychiatric outcome of whiplash neck injury is controversial.

AIMS

To describe outcomes and predictors as compared with other types of road accident injury.

METHOD

Consecutive emergency department attenders (n=1148; whiplash 278) assessed by self-report at baseline, 3 months, 1 year and 3 years.

RESULTS

Moderate to severe pain was reported by 27% of whiplash sufferers at 1 year and by 30% at 3 years. Psychiatric consequences were common and persistent. Whiplash victims and those with bony injury were more likely to seek compensation. Accident and early post-accident psychosocial variables predicted the pain at 1 year. Claiming compensation at 3 months predicted the pain at 1 year for those with whiplash or bony injury.

CONCLUSIONS

There is no special psychiatry of whiplash neck injury. Psychological variables and consequences are important following whiplash in a similar manner to other types of injury.