Depression and burn wounds.

The biopsychosocial impact of a burn injury on the individual hospitalized for severe burn wounds begins at the moment of injury and extends throughout that person's life. Medical and emotional problems do not exist in clinical isolation but instead interact to confound and complicate treatment outcomes, accentuating the importance of providing optimal treatment of patients' medical illnesses without neglecting their mental distress. Identifying, and responding to, the signs and symptoms of depression is integral to the burn patient's recovery and rehabilitation.