Cerebral palsy (CP) is the leading cause of child-onset physical disability in Ireland. Our research has shown that people with CP are more likely to experience mental health difficulties and have a higher risk of depression and anxiety compared to the general population. In Ireland, 34% of children and young people with CP experience mental health difficulties and 14% have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Young people with CP face unique challenges that negatively impact their mental health such as discrimination, difficulties interacting with peers, poor sleep, and onset of pain and fatigue. However, only 17% report receiving enough help to manage their mental health and emotional well-being from children’s health services. Young people who experience mental health difficulties and parents face multiple barriers to accessing appropriate support. Most health professionals in children’s disability teams lack knowledge to support mental health among young people with CP and physical health concerns overshadow mental health symptoms. Resources to support mental health in the general population do not address the impact that living with a physical disability has on the mental health of young people with CP.
We will work with young people with CP, families and health professionals to adapt existing resources about managing mental health to meet the needs of young people with CP. During three co-design workshops, we will decide how well existing resources meet the needs of young people with CP, make changes to the resources, test prototypes, and produce final resources. We will share these resources with young people and parents to help them better understand and manage the mental health challenges faced by young people with CP. We will share with health professionals working in all children’s disability teams in Ireland to improve young people’s experience of accessing mental health support through their local team.