Depression in adults post burn injury: a descriptive study conducted in the burn centre of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi.

Burns are a major cause of psychological disability in this modern era. Psychological aspects of burn have been studied throughout the world with vast differences in results. Depression is one of the psychological illnesses that affect the individual post burn injury. Our objective was to determine frequency of depression in burn patients, burn-related factors that may contribute to the development of depression and to assess demographic distribution. Ninety-four patients from the Burns Centre, Dow University of Health Sciences & Dr. Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital in Karachi were selected according to specific criteria. Duration of study was from September 2017 to February 2018, with 1-40% of burns patients included through non-probability purposive sampling. Data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of consent form, demographic details and burn details. Beck Depression Inventory II was used as a scoring instrument for depression. Standard statistical measures were calculated using SPSS version 22. Out of 94 patients, 58 were male (61.7%) and 36 (38.3%) female. The most common type of burn was thermal, seen in 58 (61.7%) patients. Thirty (31.9%) patients had depression: 15 (16%) had a mild form, eight (8.5%) a moderate form and seven (7.4%) had severe symptoms of depression. Depression in 32% of cases indicates the need for diagnosis in burn-injured patients. Therefore psychiatric rehabilitation is necessary for all cases of burn in order to manage depressive symptoms, whether these symptoms are mild or severe.