“Mark Peterson, Ph.D., M.S., FACSM, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine and the senior author of the study, adds, “For example, how is this patient group’s overall health and quality of life in adulthood? There isn’t much research available to help answer this question and others.”In the study, Whitney and Peterson focus on mental health in adults with cerebral palsy and find that the patient population experiences an elevated prevalence of mental health disorders.”And some of these mental health disorders were more pronounced in patients with cerebral palsy that also have comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disabilities, autism or epilepsy,” Peterson says. “Which makes sense, as patients with cerebral palsy have an increased risk for secondary chronic conditions during childhood.”

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