Mental health in cystic fibrosis: turning the tide.

Abstract

In this issue the keenly awaited Mental Health Guidelines in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) are published.1 These guidelines are the result of the work of an international group of experts formed by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) and the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS). Fifteen years ago, the UK CF Trust Standards of Care described the important role played by a clinical psychologist as part of the CF multidisciplinary team.2 This role was reinforced in the ECFS 2005 Standards of Care document.3 The updated ECFS Best Practice Guidelines, published last year, made recommendations for surveillance and interventions to support patients and families with mental health problems.4 The CF community can be proud of their constant interest in and awareness of the psychological wellbeing of the patients they care for. In research, for more than 20 years a wide spectrum of topics have been studied, including quality of life, burden of treatment, treatment adherence, coping, life satisfaction, reproductive and sexual health, parenting, transition, end-of-life care etc. A recent (personal communication) survey by the Psychosocial Special Interest Group (working group of the ECFS) showed that 71 psychologist have dedicated hours to care for patients with CF (ranging from 10% to 100%) in 14 European countries. However, from a recent survey5 we also know that mental health care delivery in CF is inadequate and highly variable across care centres and countries. This survey was distributed by the CFF and ECFS to approximately …