A Preliminary Report: Evaluation of the Psychiatric Status of Patients who had Undergone Major Amputation Because of High-Voltage Electrical Burns.

摘要

Amputations cause significant physical and social problems because of organ loss. Self sufficiency and mobility are reduced after the operation and the patient must reform his relationships and social life accordingly. Sexual functions and attraction are also affected. There may be problems in adjusting to the new body image.Studies focusing on psychiatric reactions of patients after amputations are few. In our surgical practice, we have observed no distress in patients amputated because of electrical burns. Because of this intriguing observation and taking in to account the results of previous studies, we have designed a prospective study evaluating the psychiatric status of amputees with formal psychiatric assessment. Similar to the previous studies, we have posited that depression would be seen in younger patients.