Psychopathological disorders in the period of burn disease late sequelae in children and teenagers

Abstract

Burn disease and its sequelae are medical, social and economic problem.

Burn disease is manifested both in local change of burned skin and in complex combination of secondary disorders. These are secondary disorders that often acquire their own significance determining the outcome of the disease.

The aim of the work was to study psychopathological disorders in the period of burn disease late sequelae.

365 victims were under the doctor's care, 56 of them were victims of railway accident. Period of follow-up examination was 14 years.

It was determined as a notion the period of late sequelae. It means the period of time more than 3 years after thermal injury survival. It was proved that psychopathological disorders may occur both in the presence of postburn cosmetic defects and without them. The cause of these disorders is multifactorial. However these disorders are mainly stress-provoked but not solely psychogenic.

The disorders manifest with neurotic, psychovegetative and personality symptoms as well as encephalopathy. They correlate with victim age, pubertal crisis, pre-morbid residual organic cerebral dysfunction, severity of thermal injury, postburn cosmetic defects of visible body parts.

A deprivation type of psychogenic pathologic formation which includes complex of a physical defect – Quasimodo Complex was singled out in the most maimed children of pubertal age. These teenagers submit with their defects and refuse from cosmetic surgery.

Developed combined treatment with obligatory use of psychotherapy provides individual approach to the victim personality, improves his or her social adaptation.