Tips for working with people with neurological disorders

Neurological disorders are disorders of the brain and nervous system, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and acquired brain injury. Almost one in six people worldwide have a neurological disorder, and prevalence will rise as the population ages (WHO, 2006). So it is very likely that you will work with people with these disorders at some stage in your psychology career. Two of the most common psychological comorbidities experienced across neurological disorders are poor mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety) and poor cognitive function (e.g., inattention, poor memory) (Gandy et al., 2018; Hesdorffer, 2016). These psychological comorbidities are reciprocal risk factors for each other, and may complicate traditional psychological treatment approaches.