New Delhi, 02nd July 2024: Burn injuries can significantly affect a person’s confidence, as they often leave visible scars and emotional wounds that make everyday interactions and activities feel daunting. Sometimes these injuries are so profound on both physical and physiological levels that they lead to depression and anxiety to face the world. Manasthali, a mental health and wellness platform, recently gave a new lease of life to a 29-year-old boy, who sustained 70 per cent burn during an accident.

Yogesh (name changed), a resident of Gurugram, visited Manasthali after his friend persuaded him to have a therapy session with certified mental health experts. When he visited Manasthali three months ago, he was extremely low on confidence. The scars on his face led to feelings of shame or embarrassment. Besides that, the accident became so traumatic for him that he was getting anxiety and flashbacks. He had stopped stepping out of his home because he had the fear of getting injured again and the constant judgements about his appearance.

Mansthali started his therapy session by establishing a rapport and empathising and understanding his situation so that he could share about his current emotional state and any specific concerns or difficulties he’s facing. After hearing him out thoroughly, the team chalked out coping strategies and skills development to ease out his situation.

“As mental health experts, when treating burn patients, it’s crucial to approach their care with compassion, sensitivity, and a comprehensive understanding of the physical and emotional challenges they face. We have considered addressing the psychological impact of the injury, fostering resilience through coping strategies tailored to their unique needs, supporting their adjustment to changes in body image and self-esteem, and promoting effective communication with medical teams and loved ones. By creating a therapeutic alliance built on trust and understanding, we can help burn patients navigate their recovery journey with dignity and empowerment. In this case, the patient actively responded to the therapies and that’s why there was a quick transformation in his mental and physical well-being,” said Dr Jyoti Kapoor, Founder & Director, Manasthali.

His therapy session was structured into several parts including Introduction and Establishing Rapport, Assessment of Current Mental Health, Psychoeducation about Burn Injury and Recovery, Coping Strategies and Skills Development, Addressing Emotional Reactions, Review and Homework Assignment and Review and Homework Assignment. Each session was tailored to his specific needs and progress, ensuring a supportive and therapeutic environment to facilitate healing and adjustment after a burn injury.

The patient is now getting back to normalcy overcoming potential obstacles and maintaining resilience.