Rates, Trends, and Severity of Depression after Burn Injuries

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that patients hospitalized for burn treatment will experience some level of depression. However, little is known about the trends in severity of depression over time. The purpose of this study was to determine the rates and severity of depression over a 2-year period. The Beck Depression Inventory was administered at 1 month (N = 151), 1 year (N = 130), and 2 years (N = 125) after discharge. At 1 month, 54% of patients showed symptoms of moderate to severe depression, and at 2 years, 43% of the patients responding still reported moderate to severe depression. The average correlation between scores over time was high. Women had higher depression scores than men at each time period. An interaction between gender and having a head or neck injury was also observed at 1 month and 1 year after discharge. Results suggest that routine outpatient screening for depression is warranted.

A survey of burn professionals regarding the mental health services available to burn survivors in the United States and United Kingdom

“…In fact, some survivors find that emotional and social adjustment to burn scarring is one of the most challenging aspects of their recovery [2,3]. Frequently experienced psychological and social problems include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, substance abuse, sleep disturbance, low body image, social anxiety, stigmatization and discrimination [4][5][6][7][8][9].…”

The impact of personality and coping on the development of depressive symptoms in adult burns survivors

“…While recent improvements in burn care and service provision have led to increased survival rates, burn survivors can still face an array of rehabilitative challenges including adjustment to disfigurement, reconstructive surgery, ongoing pain, barriers to social functioning, and psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety [2]. In fact, reported rates of depression within one month of burn injury range between 2.2% [3] and 54% [4].…”

Early period psychiatric disorders following burn trauma and the importance of surgical factors in the etiology

“…On the other hand, while the frequency of PTSD in the early period was 2.2-26%, this ratio was 13-45% during the 12th month. [16][17][18][19][20][21] Risk factors for depression include presence of depression prior to the burn incident, female gender and scars causing deformations in the face. Risk factors for PTSD include presence of depression prior to the burn incident, type and severity of the symptoms at the onset, presence of pain-related anxiety, and visibility of the burn scar.…”