Aphasia Mood Group - Gold Coast Health

The Aphasia Mood Group is joint Psychology and Speech Pathology program for people living with aphasia following an acquired brain injury, such as a stroke. Aphasia is a communication disorder which effects a person’s ability to talk, understand, read and write.

There is a high rate of psychological distress in the stroke population with research suggesting that 10 – 50% of stroke survivors meet the diagnostic criteria for depression and 30% experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their rehabilitation journey. The incidence of psychological distress increases if a person has aphasia due to the impact of the communication disorder. People with aphasia were 7.21 times more likely to report symptoms of depression than stroke survivors without aphasia. The prevention and management of psychological distress and disorders following a brain injury is important to maximise the quality of life for people with aphasia and their families

The Aphasia Mood Group runs for 7 weeks and provides education on aphasia, communication training and develops practical emotion coping skills for people with aphasia and their family members to live successfully with aphasia. The Aphasia Mood Group is part of the state-wide Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Project which aims to improve access to specialist rehabilitation services across Queensland.