Specialist team treats mental trauma caused by burns

[THE PREVALENCE of psychological problems associated with burns injuries is becoming increasingly recognised among clinicians. The National Burn Care Standards 2018 outline that all patients who are admitted to a burns service for 24 hours or more are offered a psychosocial screen. It is significant that the size, cause or location of the burn are not helpful predictors of coping.

One major hospital with a burns psychology service is the Chelsea and Westminster. Its burns psychology team provides psychological support to current and historical Chelsea and Westminster Hospital patients, their families – especially the parents of burn-injured children – and the social networks who have been, or will be, supporting patients to manage having experienced a burn.

The hospital’s website also contains a Burn injuries myth busters section: for example, the myth that the size of the burn matters – the bigger, the more distressing it feels.

“There is no direct relationship between the size of the burn and distress,” the article says. “Some of the most upset people we see have very small burns and yet other people with large burns do not seem that bothered. To know, we have to ask.”

The good news, the hospital points out, is that most adults and children who experience a burn injury will recover psychologically without the need for professional support. Indeed, not everyone will want or need professional support for managing burns.

Adult Burns Support UK – adultburnsupportuk.org – is a support site offering information and support to burns victims. It is funded by Dan’s Fund for Burns – dansfundforburns.org q