Patients with neurological disorders have very high rates of co-morbid psychiatric symptoms and mental illness. Treating and managing these problems can have a tremendous impact on the quality of life of the patient and their carers. As such, psychiatrists and mental health teams have a huge role to play in the lives of these patients.
Despite this, patients with neurological disorders are routinely turned away from mental health teams and struggle to get support for their mental health. Closing treatment gaps and ensuring fair access to mental health support are core Royal College values and, while there are myriad causes for this problem, we believe that psychiatrists, neurologists, patients and charities should come together to build an urgent solution.
In this session, you will hear three talks. We will begin by outlining the scale of the mental health burden in patients with neurological disorders. Leading figures from national neurological patient charities will then outline the scale of the problem of access to mental health support based on recent national surveys. Finally, you will hear a talk from a speaker with lived experience of the difficulties faced by patients with neurological disorders in getting mental health support.
We will then hold a panel discussion with representation from leaders in the fields of neuropsychiatry, neurology, general and older adult psychiatry and patient charities to better understand this problem. We would also very much like to hear from the audience, drawing from the experience of psychiatrists around the country.
Together, we aim to understand the challenges facing patients with neurological disorders, their carers, but also mental health teams so that we can move forward in forging solutions in the interests of a large and often vulnerable cohort of patients.
Speakers
Chair: Dr Akshay Nair, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London
Dr Michael Dilley, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London
Ms Cath Stanley, Huntington's Disease Association, Liverpool and Ms Georgina Carr, Neurological Alliance, Watford
Mrs Jane Allberry CBE
Dr Adam Handel, University of Oxford, Oxford
Dr Jon van Niekerk, Chair, Faculty of General Adult Psychiatry, RCPsych
Dr Pauline Ruth, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress 2025 webinar library package which is no longer available for purchase. If your Congress Webinar Library 2025 subscription is still active, you can still watch this webinar.
