Tatiana IOV, Simona Irina DAMIAN, Sofia Mihaela DAVID, Ioan Adrian CIUREANU
ABSTRACT :
Background: Stress-related psychiatric disorders raise diagnostic and medico-legal difficulties because objective biomarkers are lacking and somatic symptoms may overlap with psychological manifestations. This case report analyzes post-traumatic stress disorder secondary to an iatrogenic medical intervention. Material and methods: A longitudinal medico-legal and psychiatric case was retrospectively assessed using medical records, repeated forensic evaluations, psychological reports, structured psychiatric interviews, and complementary paraclinical data. Results: A 30 year-old man developed chemical burns, urethral stricture, acute urinary retention, repeated surgical procedures, recurrent urological complications, and progressive psychological deterioration after urethral silver nitrate instillation. Psychological and psychiatric assessments documented severe anxiety and depressive symptomatology, intrusive recollections, avoidance behavior, hyperarousal, low stress tolerance, and functional impairment. The convergence of clinical, psychiatric, psychological, and medico-legal data supported a consistent temporal and causal relationship between the iatrogenic physical trauma and the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder with depressive-anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: The case illustrates the close interaction between somatic injury and psychological trauma after medical interventions and supports the need for integrated clinical, psychiatric, and forensic documentation, long-term follow-up, and careful causal analysis.