EPV848 - When Mind and Body Collide: Psychiatric and Orthopedic Challenges in a Clinical Case.

EPV848

When Mind and Body Collide: Psychiatric and Orthopedic Challenges in a Clinical Case.

I. M. Peso Navarro 1,*, L. Garcia Avellaneda 2, C. Payo Rodriguez 1, R. A. Soto Limo 1, C. Marin Lorenzo 1, N. M. Casado Espada 1

1Psiquiatría, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, 2Traumatología, Hospital General de Merida, Merida, Spain

 

Introduction: The interaction between psychiatric disorders and orthopedic injuries is clinically relevant but often underestimated. Self-harming behaviors, impulsivity, and impaired judgment in psychiatric patients may result in traumatic injuries requiring specialized medical care. These cases demand close collaboration between psychiatry and traumatology to optimize outcomes.

Objectives: To present a clinical case illustrating the overlap between psychiatric symptoms and traumatic injury.

To emphasize the importance of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach.

To discuss diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Methods: We report the case of an adolescent patient admitted to the emergency department following a fracture sustained during an impulsive act related to psychiatric symptomatology. Data were collected from emergency records, psychiatric evaluations, and follow-up in both services.

Results: The patient, with a history of mood instability and self-harm, presented with a distal radius fracture following an episode of agitation and impulsivity.

  • Traumatology: Urgent orthopedic stabilization was performed, followed by routine postoperative care.
  • Psychiatry: Comprehensive assessment revealed underlying depressive symptoms and emotional dysregulation. Psychotherapy and pharmacological treatment with SSRIs were initiated.
  • Multidisciplinary care: Joint follow-up visits allowed coordination of physical rehabilitation and psychiatric stabilization.
    After several months, fracture healing was achieved, and the patient showed significant improvement in mood regulation and reduction of self-harming behaviors.

Conclusions: This case highlights the critical intersection of psychiatry and traumatology. Traumatic injuries in psychiatric patients are not merely physical events but markers of psychological vulnerability. A collaborative, multidisciplinary approach ensures both physical recovery and mental health stabilization, ultimately improving prognosis.

 

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared