How Are Physical And Mental Disabilities Linked To Each Other? Experts Give Answers

People with disabilities are subject to stigma and discrimination, exclusion from education and employment, and are at twice the risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, obesity and depression.

Physical and mental disabilities can be linked to each other, experts say. Several brain disorders may lead to physical disabilities. (Representative Photo)

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Disabilities are of different types, broadly mental and physical, and can affect a person in many ways. A disability or an impairment is a condition of the body or mind that makes it difficult for the person with the condition to perform certain activities, interact with others, and can arise due to the interaction between health conditions such as dementia, spinal cord injury or blindness, and a range of environmental and personal factors. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.3 billion people, or 16 per cent of the global population, experience a significant disability. Sometimes, people with disabilities can die up to 20 years earlier than those without disabilities. Moreover, those with disabilities are subject to stigma and discrimination, exclusion from education and employment, and are at twice the risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, obesity, depression, poor oral health and asthma, compared to those without disabilities. 

Physical and mental disabilities can be linked to each other, experts say. 

How mental disabilities lead to physical disabilities

Mental disabilities can result in different physical illnesses. “Mental disabilities due to different psychiatric conditions may lead to chronic illnesses such as neurological disorders, diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, and pulmonary disorders. Further, the incidence of drug addiction, smoking, and chronic alcoholism is much higher in patients with mental disabilities that may lead to physical illnesses causing disabilities,” Dr Sanjay Pandey, Head, Department of Neurology, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, told ABP Live. 

How physical disabilities lead to mental disabilities

Physical disabilities can lead to a wide array of mental disabilities. “Physical disabilities secondary to neurological, cardiac, respiratory, gastrointestinal illnesses and cancer may lead to anxiety, depression, hallucination, and other psychiatric disorders causing mental disabilities,” Dr Pandey said. 

Physical disabilities occurring due to changes in the brain

Several brain disorders may lead to physical disabilities. “They may affect children and the elderly population also. Mental retardation, cerebrovascular accidents, brain infections, neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and neuromuscular conditions such as muscular dystrophy may lead to severe physical disabilities,” Dr Pandey said.

Scientific basis behind disabilities

Every person is likely to suffer from a particular form of disability at a certain point in their lives. “For some, the disability can be permanent,” Dr Sahil Gaba, Consultant, Department of Orthopaedics, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, told ABP Live. An example of a permanent disability is blindness. 

“WHO says that disability has three dimensions – impairment, activity limitation, and participation restriction,” Dr Gaba added. 

A disability can be mental or physical, temporary, or permanent. “Different forms of disability have different scientific bases,” Dr Gaba said. Citing a few examples of physical disabilities seen during his practice as an orthopaedic hip and knee replacement surgeon, Dr Gaba said: “A person with severe arthritis of knee or hip will have a reduced walking distance. So, if they were earlier able to go to a shop nearby to buy groceries, they cannot do it anymore because of a painful hip or knee. If an elderly person sustains a hip fracture after a fall, they are essentially bed ridden (hence, disabled) until they have surgery and undergo rehabilitation.”

According to Dr Gaba, orthopaedic surgeons can help such individuals get rid of their disability by performing a hip or a knee replacement surgery, or a fracture fixation surgery.