Physiotherapy and Mental Health

Abstract

Physiotherapy in mental health care and psychiatry is a recognized specialty within physiotherapy. It offers a rich variety of observational and evaluation tools as well as a range of interventions that are related to the patient's physical and mental health problems based on evidence-based literature and a 50-year history. Physiotherapy in mental health care addresses human movement, function, physical activity and exercise in individual and group therapeutic settings. Additionally, it connects the physical and mental health needs of humans. This chapter offers general reflections on mental health, the scope of physiotherapy in mental health care and physiotherapy research. Physiotherapy in mental health care and psychiatry can offer added and beneficial value to the treatment of people with mental health problems.

The knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of physiotherapists in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, towards mental health

“…The questionnaire included the demographic details of the participants, the university where they completed their undergraduate physiotherapy studies, how frequently they treated PLWMI and questions from the Attitudes to Psychiatry (ATP-30) questionnaire (Burra, Kalin & Leichner 1982 ). The ATP-30 tool has been used in three studies measuring the attitudes of physiotherapy students and one study measuring the attitudes of physiotherapists, and therefore it was possible to compare the results to other studies by using the same questionnaire (Bhise et al 2016 ; Gbiri et al 2011 ; Probst & Skjaerven 2017 ; Sinawi & Alawi 2016 ). The tool has been shown to be reliable and valid with medical and occupational therapy students (Burra et al 1982 ).…”

“…However, nearly, 75% of PLWMI never seek medical treatment because of stigmatisation, discrimination and neglect (World Health Organization 2013 ). The prevalence of stigmatisation and discrimination towards PLWMI has been shown in extensive studies (Probst & Skjaerven 2017 ) and arises from fear, lack of knowledge, apathy and negative stereotypes (Egbe et al 2014 ). Because of stigmatisation, PLWMI are reluctant to access medical treatment (Ay, Save & Fidanoglu 2006 ) as stigmatisation is not only prevalent in the community, but health care professionals are also guilty of stigmatising PLWMI (Egbe et al 2014 ; Sinawi & Alawi 2016 ).…”

“…Physiotherapy management includes the prescription of physical activity for patients. There is evidence that shows that physical activity enhances the effectiveness of psychological therapies (Probst & Skjaerven 2017 ) and quality of life of PLWMI (Richardson et al 2005 ). The most common form of physical activity is exercise.…”

“…Therefore, physiotherapists can play an important role in improving mental as well as the physical health of patients (Kaur et al 2013 ). Numerous studies highlight the close relationship between mental and physical health (Probst & Skjaerven 2017 ), but integrating this into clinical settings has been very slow, and physiotherapy has not been seen as a worthwhile strategy (Probst & Skjaerven 2017 ). A study conducted in Nigeria reports that there is a need for the integration of physiotherapy management into mental health (Gbiri, Akinpelu & Odole 2011 ), and physiotherapists are seen as an important member of the mental health team (Gbiri et al 2011 ).…”

Perspectivas sobre a atuação da Fisioterapia na Saúde Mental

“…Segue a abordagem centrada na pessoa e proporciona cuidados em todos os níveis de atenção à saúde e em todos os ciclos de vida do indivíduo com alterações de saúde mental, sejam elas leves, moderadas ou graves, agudas ou crônicas. Os fisioterapeutas que atuam em saúde mental podem contribuir com equipes multidisciplinares e cuidados inter-profissionais, utilizando-se de abordagens terapêuticas baseadas em evidência 7 .…”