Citation

Mc Learie S, Orr DJ, O'Dwyer AM. Br. J. Plast. Surg. 2004; 57(5): 440-445.

Affiliation

Psychological Medicine Service, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.bjps.2003.12.037

PMID

15191825

Abstract

Few studies describe the incidence and nature of psychiatric morbidity in plastic surgery patients. We undertook a review of all referrals from the Plastic Surgery Service to the Psychological Medicine Service over a 1-year period (January-December 2001). Standardised socio-demographic information, nature and cause of injury/defect, surgical intervention, surgical outcome, psychiatric diagnosis and psychiatric follow-up were determined. The majority of patients referred had a significant existing psychiatric illness, had made a suicide/parasuicide attempt, or were burns patients. There was a high rate of referral of plastic surgery inpatients. Liaison with plastic surgery staff to allow rapid identification and early management of psychiatric morbidity is an important role for psychological medicine. We outline a defined categorisation of common contexts in which psychiatric morbidity may present to plastic surgery services.

Language: en