Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop after exposure to a life-threatening event or serious injury. Symptoms include recurring and intrusive memories, such as flashbacks, avoidance of reminders and persistent symptoms of anxiety or physiological arousal. Many factors are associated with the development of PTSD in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, including increased length of stay, and greater levels and longer duration of sedation. Patient-related factors associated with a higher risk of PTSD include younger age, female gender,previous psychological problems and recall of delusional memories from ICU. In contrast, the formation of even fragmented factual memories may reduce the risk of PTSD. Optimum, analgesia-based sedation may help patients to form factual memories of ICU, so possibly reducing the risk of PTSD. Patient diaries, written by health professionals and family members and close friends, may also support patients in coming to terms with traumatic, delusional memories, and so reduce their emotional and psychological symptoms. Following ICU discharge, validated screening tools such as ICU Memory and Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome 14-Questions Inventory can be used as part of routine follow-up to identify patients who may need referral for more specialist assessment of possible PTSD symptoms.

Many patients who are discharged from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) frequently suffer health problems long after they've left the hospital. The patient and their loved ones are often puzzled as to why, having survived a critical illness, that the former ICU patient is unable to work, enjoy activities, gain weight, and/or regain happiness after leaving the hospital. In researching this topic, I was alarmed at the number of individuals who are plagued by a profound range of serious mental health issues coupled with prolonged physical weakness.

The purpose of this piece is to bring attention to the widespread incidence of post-ICU depression and mental health and to encourage education and networking of professionals interested in assisting post-ICU patients and their caregivers. Hopefully, information contained in the article will provide caregivers and loved ones of former ICU patients with practical suggestions on how to initiate a successful dialog with a variety of health care professionals and mental health providers to ensure that the post-ICU care received results in the best possible outcome.

Patients may suffer extreme psychological reactions in intensive care units (ICU), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after leaving hospital. Previous systematic reviews of studies up to 2007 found that the true prevalence of and consistent risk factors for PTSD after ICU were not established, due to methodological shortcomings of studies. Therefore we aimed to conduct a systematic review of observational studies of post-ICU PTSD from 2008-2012, and to compare them to 1997-2007 studies, with regard to quality, prevalence estimates and risk factors.