67% of amputees develop depression but psychological care drops off after discharge

Mental health assessments reveal a 67% prevalence of depression among amputees, with 60% experiencing severe depression -- over 13 times the 5% rate in the general population. Anxiety affects a third of amputees. Yet psychological support evaporates after the acute phase: while 83% of traumatic amputation patients receive initial psychiatric treatment in hospital, only 10% continue treatment two years later. Most amputee rehabilitation programs have no obligatory psychological component. This matters because untreated depression directly undermines physical rehabilitation: depressed patients are less likely to wear their prosthesis, attend physical therapy, or engage in the effortful process of learning to walk or use a prosthetic hand again. The result is a vicious cycle where limb loss causes depression, depression prevents rehabilitation, and failed rehabilitation deepens depression. The problem persists because prosthetic rehabilitation is siloed: prosthetists handle the device, physical therapists handle gait, and mental health is nobody's explicit responsibility. Insurance reimburses prosthetic fittings and PT sessions but rarely covers ongoing psychological counseling specific to limb loss adjustment.