Psychotherapy in Neurorehabilitation

Abstract

The range of treatments available for neurorehabilitation must include appropriate psychotherapeutic approaches, if only because of the frequent occurrence of psychological co-morbidities, not always diagnosed and appropriately treated. The current situation is characterized by a large variety of available treatments, dearth of treatment studies and proven evidence. This state of affairs emphasizes the diversity and complexity of neurological disease. The presence of collateral psychological problems in particular requires individually tailored treatments. Damage to the CNS requires that particular attention be paid to the closely interwoven functions of the body and mind. What follows is the need for multimodal psychotherapy, grounded in neurology. Taking into account the various treatment approaches and regimens, therapy needs to be directly integrated in a meaningful, coherent way into other measures of neurological rehabilitation. Against this background, the paper gives an overview of clinical needs and therapeutic procedures as well as regarding the requirements and perspectives in the further development of psychotherapy in neurorehabilitation.