It is a common sight in the intensive care unit. Family members at the bedside, sometimes 24/7. Holding vigil and attentively monitoring each moment of the day for their critically ill/injured loved one. After all, who knows the needs and subtle hints of change of the patient better then close loved ones?

For many people their first experience with an Intensive Care Unit may be when they find themselves or a loved one critically ill or injured. It can be an intensely stressful and scary time. It is not uncommon for those who experience critical illness or injury to later develop sleep disturbances such as insomnia, vivid dreams, and even nightmares. Many of the symptoms that former ICU patients experience are consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder and are included within the syndrome we are now calling Post Intensive Care Syndrome or PICS. Many interventions are being explored that address post-ICU recovery, however one intervention has already proven its usefulness in combating PTSD in post-ICU patients - ICU diaries.

A new study finds that treatment in the intensive care unit has a unique set of terrors -- painful enough to be a precipitating factor in the onset of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The conclusion comes from a German study of patients who spent at least one month in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the University of Munich and were evaluated for PTSD up to three years later.