Beyond the care of sepsis, pain, and disfigurement: case of psychological reactions to chemical burn in an African American patient with extensive psychiatric history

While the life-threatening nature of severe chemical burns requires an immediate focus on the physical status, long-term psychological functioning in these patients with now concurrent pathology often receives much less attention. A variety of reactions and adjustment issues may present following a bum injury. Treating the psychological aspects is often complicated and difficult, but even more so when the patient has pre-existing psychiatric illness. The current article describes the psychological treatment of an African American patient with chemical bum and significant pre-existing psychopathology in a community mental health setting. The authors purport that a comprehensive treatment approach to burn related injury should include significant attention to cognitive, behavioral, affective, and medical symptoms often in the context of pre-existing symptoms. Secondly, psychological interventions administered by trained mental health professionals are essential therapies to address long-term psychological functioning. Finally, mental health professionals should be considered a functional part of the treatment team in all stages of the bum injury management program particularly with patients who may have pre-existing psychiatric illnesses. Keywords Chemical burn * Histrionic personality disorder * Cognitive behavioral therapy * Pain