The article focuses on psychiatric disorders, which are becoming increasingly common among the general population, and their compatibility with the transplant journey. After analyzing part of the literature on the subject, an attempt was made to describe our approach with respect to the eligibility of the patient with a psychiatric disorder to a possible transplant, and the psychological path followed by our patient in order to “neutralize” as much as possible the psychological risk factors, and enhance the protective factors that can facilitate the treatment process. The approach used by the psychology service and shared by the care team is based on the opportunity to recognize, for each individual case, risk and protective factors with regard to the planned care path and, based on this, evaluate the possibility of a transplant. This approach has proved to be effective for the treatment of patients with a psychological disorder and who need to face complex but necessary treatments in terms of survival.
Through the description of a clinical case we try to exemplify the main points of the approach based on resources and resilience. The clinical case herein reported regards a woman suffering from alcohol-related liver cirrhosis and bipolar disorder undergoing a deceased donor liver transplant.