Depression and burn wounds

The biopsychosocial impact of a burn injury on the individual hospitalized for severe burn wounds begins at the moment of injury and extends throughou t that person's life. Medical and emotional problems do not exist in clinic al isolation but instead interact to confound and complicate treatment outc omes, accentuating the importance of providing optimal treatment of patient s' medical illnesses without neglecting their mental distress. identifying, and responding to, the signs and symptoms of depression is integral to the burn patient's recovery and rehabilitation. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.