NEUROLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
Neurological Psychiatry
Neurological Psychiatry, or Neuropsychiatry, is crucial in the rehabilitation and care that we provide at Richardson Care. It addresses the complex interplay between the neurological and psychiatric aspects of an individual’s condition. This means the combination of both the physical aspects of the brain (structural, biochemical or electrical) and the mental or emotional aspects.
Brain injuries and other neurological conditions can have a wide range of impacts on the cognitive, emotional and behavioural functions of the brain. It is the role of the neuropsychiatrist to understand and manage these very complex issues.
Consultant Neuropsychiatrist Dr Seth Mensah is part of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of trained and experienced therapists at Richardson Care. They work together to provide co-ordinated and person-centred care for each individual. The goal is to enable each person to live a happy and fulfilling life. We aim to achieve this by supporting them to maximise their functional abilities, improve their well-being and increase their autonomy within a safe and supportive environment.
When someone who has a brain injury, learning disability or other neurological condition is admitted to Richardson Care, they may have spent many years in a clinical setting. Our experience has shown that there is still the potential for further rehabilitation and/or improved quality of life.
The role of the neuropsychiatrist in brain injury rehabilitation
While psychiatry deals with a wide range of mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorders) neuropsychiatry specifically explores the connection between psychiatric symptoms and underlying neurological factors. Neuropsychiatrists bring an added layer of expertise in understanding the complex interplay between the brain and mental health.
In this video, Dr Seth Mensah, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at Richardson Care, explains his role as part of the multi-disciplinary clinical and care team.
Key aspects of the neuropsychiatrist’s role are:
- Assessment and diagnosis – comprehensive assessments involve the whole MDT at Richardson Care and take time. They need to provide a good understanding of the effects of a brain injury and the impact on a person’s quality of life and their functioning.
- Treatment planning – we devise a treatment and care plan based on the specific needs of the individual, which often includes specialist input from other members of the MDT. For example, neuropsychology, neurological speech and language therapy, neurological physiotherapy and neurological occupational therapy.
- Medication management – the neuropsychiatrist is responsible for prescribing and managing medications to address psychiatric symptoms, and for monitoring the effects of these medications. At Richardson Care, Dr Seth Mensah works in conjunction with local mental health services and primary care services to support our service users.
- Education and support – Brain injuries, don’t happen to individuals, they happen to families, so part of Seth’s role is to offer support and guidance to the families of the survivors of brain injuries in our care. Working closely with the family also helps us to understand more about the characteristics of the person before they had their brain injury. This better enables us to provide meaningful and effective rehabilitation.
Ongoing cognitive and functional rehabilitation
Treatment and care plans for service users at Richardson Care bring together all the skills of the MDT as well as the experienced and skilled care staff. In addition to specific therapy sessions, service users are supported by activity support workers all day, every day to provide ongoing rehabilitation. This may involve taking part in group or individual activities within the home, the local community or further afield. It could be completing puzzles, baking, singing, going for a walk, shopping, visiting a farm or going to the theatre. All of these activities can help to support rehabilitation and well-being.
