Comorbid psychiatric disorders in burn patients – a tertiary care hospital based study

Background: Burn injury is often a devastating event and hence a major cause of psychological distress. This poses a great challenge in rehabilitation and psychosocial adjustment of burn patients. The main objective of this research is to understand better the frequency of psychiatric comorbidity in burn victims and also assess the socio-demographic distribution of such cases. Aim and Objectives: To study the co-morbid psychological disorders in patients suffering from burn injuries. Methods: Two hundred patients with moderate to severe burns admitted in a leading tertiary care hospital in the state, during the one year period from July 2013 to July 2014, were screened for psychological disorders using 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Patients who screened positive for presence of co-morbid psychological disorders were further interviewed using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis 1 Disorders (SCID-1) to find out the type of psychological disorder. Descriptive statistics like mean, percentage and standard deviation (SD) were used. Chi-square test was used for categorical data. Results: The prevalence of psychological co-morbidity in patients with burns in our sample was found to be 45%. Generalised anxiety disorder was the most common psychological disorder found co-morbid in these patients.Generalised anxiety disorder and Major depressive disorder was significantly seen more in patients with flame burns Males showed a significantly higher proportion of Major depressive disorder; while anxiety disorders were commonly seen in females. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of the simultaneous evaluation and management of patients with burn injuries which will eventually help in speeding up their recovery and proper post burn rehabilitation.