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Mental Health Changes
How Can Your Mental Health Change After Hand/Arm Transplantation?
Mental health considerations during decision-making
- It is important for people who experienced a traumatic upper limb loss injury to take time to process their experience with a mental/behavioral health professional prior to pursuing hand/arm transplantation and carefully consider the potential impact that the transplant may have on their mental health and lifestyle.1-7
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“I want to learn to crochet again. I want to be able to ride a bike again. It’s going to be difficult, but I still am that person that wants to get out there and do things. I want to do things for myself.”
- Debra Kelly, 61-year-old female who received bilateral hand transplants in 2018
Mental health changes among transplant recipients
- Hand/arm transplant recipients have experienced stress during the recovery and rehabilitation processes due to:
- Changes in identity and family relationships8,9
- Increased dependence on caregivers8,9
- National and international media attention9
- Hand/arm transplant recipients have also experienced mood changes, depression, and anxiety after the frequency of surgical follow-up has decreased.8
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“With my stumps, I was forever at the dentist to get my fillings fixed because I would open bottles and things with my teeth. I’ve had to retrain myself in using my new hands – even though it may be quicker using the skills I developed with stumps. About three weeks ago I finally felt like my new hands were better than my stumps. I’m looking forward to doing more. I used to love gardening and am keen to get back to doing bigger jobs when I have more feeling.”
- Corinne Hutton, 49-year-old female who received bilateral hand transplants in 2019
How Can Your Personal Identity Change After Hand/Arm Transplantation?
Identity considerations during decision-making
- People with recent upper limb loss may have a hard time getting used to the look and feel of their residual limb and loss of function.10,11
- By losing a part of their body, some people may feel like they have lost a part of their self; consequently, this may distort their body image, identity, and autonomy.12,13
- Despite the risks of hand/arm transplantation, some people may feel empowered to pursue hand/arm transplantation because they are taking action to improve their quality of life.2
Identity considerations among transplant recipients
- Hand/arm transplant recipients may need time to get used to the hand/arm transplant and see it as part of themselves.
- It is important for recipients to accept the transplant as part of their own body, instead of seeing it as a separate limb attached to their body.1,12,14-16
- Recipients who accept the transplanted limb as part of themselves are generally better able to achieve the self-care and lifelong commitments necessary for their transplant’s success.
Appearance considerations
- It is important to consider that the hand/arm transplant is physically visible.
- Transplant teams do their best to match donor upper limbs to the recipient on the basis of sex/gender, skin tone, body size, hair color, and many other factors.17
- Hand/arm transplant recipients will need to feel comfortable with having a hand/arm skin and hair color that looks a little different from the rest of their body.4,13
- Differences in skin tone, hair color, and hand/arm size may be more noticeable for patients who receive one hand/arm transplant than for patients who receive double hand/arm transplants.
