Anxiety and Depression Among Non-Facial Burn Patients at a Tertiary Care Center in Pakistan.

INTRODUCTION

A patient who suffers from burn injuries can be subjected to various mental and psychological conditions that can adversely affect their health and wellbeing.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1st September 2019 and 30th March 2020 in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Patients were selected in the outpatient department and follow-up was done at two and four weeks following definitive. Some 225 patients in our study fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Patients were assessed using Urdu translated scales. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) were used. Data were analyzed with the help of SSPS software version 13.0.

RESULT

Out of 119 (52.8 %) male patients, the highest percentage was of accidental injuries 106 (89%) followed by suicidal burns 9 (7.5%). A similar trend was seen in females; out of n=106 females, 92 (86%) presented with accidental burn injuries and only 11 (10%) patients have a history of suicidal burns. A fraction of the sample had a history of homicidal burn injuries, with 4 (3%) male and 3 (2%) female patients. The variation of anxiety level and depth of burn varied considerably. Among patients who suffered superficial thickness burns (n=105, 47%), 69.5% of patients experienced mild anxiety symptoms. Only 28 (26.6%) patients had moderate anxiety and severe anxiety was the lowest, at only 3.8% (n=4). A similar trend was observed in deep burn patients, but the level of severe anxiety was significantly higher at 26%. This was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Deep burn patients had the highest percentage (n=54, 45.3%) of very severe depression compared to only 10% in superficial burns. The variation between the two categories was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The majority of (35.2%) patients experienced mild symptoms of depression and this correlated with superficial burn injuries.

CONCLUSION

A burn injury can seriously affect the mental wellbeing of patients. With the severity of burn injury we saw that severe depression was prevalent. This aspect must be taken into consideration when treating such patients and it warrants a multidisciplinary team (MDT) strategy.