Objective: To understand the reasons for referral to a Parkinson’s Clinical Psychology service.

Background: In recent times, the psychological impact of Parkinson’s Disease has become more widely recognised (Broen et al 2016; Simpson et al 2021), though access to clinical psychology for people with Parkinson’s is often a rarity. For people with a Parkinson’s diagnosis, adjustment to the condition along with a range of psychological difficulties including anxiety, low mood and cognitive impairment amongst others play a dominant and sometimes disabling role in the progression of the condition (Goldman & Holden, 2014).

Method: A routine service evaluation was used to capture the reasons for referral to a clinical psychology service integrated within the Parkinson’s Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). The gender, age, length of diagnosis, referral source and the reason for referral (as provided by the referrer) were captured between October 2020 to October 2021.

Results: Fifty-seven people were referred to the service (f= 35 m=22) between October 2020 to October 2021. The age ranged from 51 to 83 years. At the time of the referral, the length of diagnosis ranged from 1 week to 30 years. Referrals were received from the Parkinson’s Specialist nurses (n=30), Consultant Geriatricians and medics within the Parkinson’s MDT (n=25) and other allied health professionals outside of the Parkinson’s MDT (n= 2). The following reasons for referral were provided at the time of the referral, Anxiety (n=34; 60%); Low mood/ Depression (n = 8; 14%); Anxiety and Low Mood (n =4; 7%); Carer or family support (n = 5; 9%), Cognitive difficulties (n= 3; 5%) and Adjustment to diagnosis (n=3; 5%).

Conclusion: This service evaluation considers the reason for referral to a Parkinson’s Clinical Psychology service between October 2020 to October 2021 during the first year of the service operating. The clinical psychology service is embedded within the Parkinson’s service and as such allows for ease of referral and access to clinical psychology intervention. During the first year of the service receiving referrals, the most predominant reason for referral was for the primary presentation of Anxiety. Further evaluation would be helpful in order to explore the outcomes of the referrals to the Parkinson’s Clinical Psychology service.

References: Broen M.P.G., Narayen, N.E., Kujif, M.L, Dissanayaka, N. W., Leentjens, A. F.G. (2016) ‘Prevalence of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and metaanalysis’ Movement Disorders; 31: 1125–1133
Goldman, J.G. & Holden, S. (2014). Treatment of psychosis and dementia in Parkinson’s disease. Current Treatment Options in Neurology, 16(3), 1–25.
Simpson, J., Eccles, F. and Zarotti, N. (2021) Evidence-based guidance on psychological interventions: Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. British Psychological Society.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-reasons-for-referral-to-a-parkinsons-clinical-psychology-service/