Due to the aging of the intensive care unit (ICU) population and an improvement in survival rates after ICU hospitalization, an increasing number of older adults are suffering from long-term impairments due to critical illness, known as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). This paper focuses on PICS-related cognitive, psychological, and physical impairments, and the impact of ICU hospitalization on families and caregivers. The authors also describe innovative models of care for PICS, and what roles geriatric psychiatrists could play in the future of this rapidly growing population.

Survivors of critical illness and their caregivers frequently face long-term
impairments of cognition, mental health, mobility and beyond, which
demand for a patient-centred transition management and well-coordinated,
outpatient post-ICU care.

The terms intensive care unit(ICU) syndrome and ICU psychosis have been used interchangeably to describe a cluster of psychiatric symptoms that are unique to the ICU environment. It is often postulated that aspects of the ICU, such as sleep deprivation and sensory overload or monotony, are causes of the syndrome. This article reviews the empirical support for these propositions. We conclude that ICU syndrome does not differ from delirium and that ICU syndrome is caused exclusively by organic stressors on the central nervous system. We argue further that the term ICU syndrome is dangerous because it impedes standardized communication and research and may reduce the vigilance necessary to promptly investigate and reverse the medical cause of the delirium. Directions for future research are suggested.