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Healing the Scars Within: Psychological Support for the War-Injured

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Reconstructing the War Injured Patient

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Abstract

Unlike physical wounds, post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and many co-occurring mental health conditions are often overlooked when caring for war-injured military personnel. A case study is presented in this chapter to highlight the importance of mental health services for the war-injured. The patient at hand is an Iraqi military guard in his mid-30s, married with 4 children, residing in Baghdad. After receiving initial medical interventions in Iraq, the patient was referred to the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUB-MC) for reconstructive surgeries after losing parts of his left arm and his left leg in a bomb attack. Throughout his stay at the hospital, which lasted several months, he experienced low mood, irritability, poor appetite, and inability to sleep. He was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and was put on SSRIs by the consulting psychiatrist. Once the clinical psychologist assessed the patient, the diagnoses also included traumatic stress and anxiety symptomatology. The patient was having flashbacks, nightmares, startle responses, chronic feelings of hopelessness, and helplessness. The treatment plan focused on empowering the patient and tackling the functional impairment after injury. The course of treatment was based on first-line trauma-focused CBT psychotherapy approaches. Briefly, the focus was on accepting the traumatic incident, resolving the traumatic memories, coping with the limitations imposed by the physical injuries, and reintegrating back into their familial, social, and occupational roles. Follow-up was done in intervals as therapy road had a few obstacles. During the last session, patient reported improved mood, more confidence with self and abilities, better social connections with others, and most importantly a stronger bond with his wife.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut, Bliss St., Hamra, Beirut, 11-0236, Lebanon

    Brigitte Khoury Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut, Riad El-Solh, Beirut, 11-0236, Lebanon

    Sariah Daouk M.A

Authors
  1. Brigitte Khoury Ph.D.
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  2. Sariah Daouk M.A
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Correspondence to Brigitte Khoury Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

    Ghassan Soleiman Abu-Sittah

  2. Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

    Jamal J. Hoballah

  3. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Centre-Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon

    Joseph Bakhach

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Khoury, B., Daouk, S. (2017). Healing the Scars Within: Psychological Support for the War-Injured. In: Abu-Sittah, G., Hoballah, J., Bakhach, J. (eds) Reconstructing the War Injured Patient. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56887-4_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56887-4_18

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56887-4

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