“What about me? I’m supposed to be … superhuman?”: exploring staff perspectives on how to deliver high quality psychological care for people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The psychological impact of ALS extends beyond patients and families to healthcare professionals, creating systemic challenges in care delivery. Effective psychological care in ALS requires a comprehensive approach that addresses not only the needs of individual patients but also staff and systemic issues. A distress loop exists where inadequate psychological services affect both staff wellbeing and care quality for patients and their families. Without addressing patient, staff, and service-level issues, people living with ALS and healthcare professionals will continue to experience preventable psychological distress.