Recognition and treatment of the post-traumatic stress disorder in the burn victim

In 1980 the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-III) provided the first descriptive classification for post-traumatic stress disorder as a unique diagnostic entity. Since then, many reports describing this condition in Vietnam War veterans have appeared, as well as occasional reports of the disorder after civilian trauma. We have found only one previous report of this disorder as a sequela to thermal injury. This article presents two illustrative case reports of burn victims suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, highlighting the phenomenology leading to the diagnosis. The treatment and outcome are also presented. The importance of recognizing and treating this disorder in burn victims is discussed. Treatment results in improved compliance through all phases of therapy and an overall decrease in patient morbidity, especially psychologic problems. The need for psychiatric consultation, evaluation, and follow-up of the burn victim is emphasized.