Limb loss: The unspoken psychological aspect

Abstract

In the United States, health care providers have diagnosed 29.1 million people with diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes is the main reason for limb loss. This review addresses the lack of psychological support after limb loss. Few scholarly sources analyze the psychological aspects of limb loss before and after amputation. These sources report that patients do not have a clear understanding of their disease process and that patients often report a lack of empathy and communication from health care providers. There is no standardization of postoperative care instructions causing great confusion and increasing anxiety for both the patient and the caregivers. Individuals with limb amputation express increased depression and body image disturbance along with social embarrassment after amputation. Postoperatively, patients report a decrease in resources once discharged home. Some studies suggest psychiatric consultation preamputation and postamputation. The literature also suggests increased communication between the patient undergoing amputation and their health care provider preoperatively and postoperatively.