Psychiatry of whiplash neck injury

Abstract

Background: The psychiatric outcome of whiplash neck injury is controversial. Aims: To describe outcomes and predictors as compared with other types of road accident injury. Method: Consecutive emergency department attenders (n=1148; whiplash 278) assessed by self-report at baseline, 3 months, 1 year and 3 years. Results: Moderate to severe pain was reported by 27% of whiplash sufferers at 1 year and by 30% at 3 years. Psychiatric consequences were common and persistent. Whiplash victims and those with bony injury were more likely to seek compensation. Accident and early post-accident psychosocial variables predicted the pain at 1 year. Claiming compensation at 3 months predicted the pain at 1 year for those with whiplash or bony injury. Conclusions: There is no special psychiatry of whiplash neck injury. Psychological variables and consequences are important following whiplash in a similar manner to other types of injury.