Multidisciplinary rehabilitation management of depression in the carbon monoxide injured patient

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the common inhaled intoxicants used in attempting suicide. This case report describes the multidisciplinary rehabilitation management of suicidal CO poisoning in a 13-year-old initially comatose male patient. Despite the prevalence of self-inflicted CO poisoning, this is the first detailed case report emphasizing the acute and delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae of CO poisoning in the premorbidly depressed patient. In addition, the difficulty of assessing psychiatric illness in an acutely neurologically impaired patient is discussed.