Beyond The Care of Sepsis, Pain, and Disfigurement: Case of Psychological Reactions to Chemical Burn in an African American Patient with Extensive Psychiatric History

Abstract

While the life-threatening nature of severe chemical burns requires an immediate focus on the physical status, long-term psychological functioning in these patients with now concurrent pathology often receives much less attention. A variety of reactions and adjustment issues may present following a burn injury. Treating the psychological aspects is often complicated and difficult, but even more so when the patient has pre-existing psychiatric illness. The current article describes the psychological treatment of an African American patient with chemical burn and significant pre-existing psychopathology in a community mental health setting. The authors purport that a comprehensive treatment approach to burn related injury should include significant attention to cognitive, behavioral, affective, and medical symptoms often in the context of pre-existing symptoms. Secondly, psychological interventions administered by trained mental health professionals are essential therapies to address long-term psychological functioning. Finally, mental health professionals should be considered a functional part of the treatment team in all stages of the burn injury management program particularly with patients who may have pre-existing psychiatric illnesses.