College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists

In their Review on the mental health of deaf people published in The Lancet this week, Johannes Fellinger and colleagues write about the social adversity associated with deafness, the high prevalence of depression and anxiety among deaf people, and the barriers they face in accessing mental health services. At the heart of these issues is the problem of communication. In mental health, as in all areas of medicine, good communication is the bedrock of diagnosis and treatment. It is therefore deeply worrying that the evidence suggests communication between deaf patients and health professionals is so poor.