Spinal cord injury: a role for the psychiatrist.

The initial psychiatric evaluation of individuals with spinal cord injuries should focus on the patients' coping strategies; this information is an essential part of the treatment and rehabilitation plan. Psychiatrists can also work effectively with staff members in groups designed to ease the strain of working with severely disabled patients. Such patients may have psychiatric illnesses that are not secondary to the injury; careful selection of antidepressant or antipsychotic medication is essential. The author points out that the psychiatrist has much to offer in the treatment of individuals with spinal cord and other severely disabling injuries.