Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among ICU Survivors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26463/rjns.15_1_15Keywords:
Post-traumatic stress disorder, ICU survivors, Persistent memories, Traumatic events, Quality of lifeAbstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur following an exposure to a stressful event that poses a threat to the life. The person’s reaction to this event includes intense feeling of fear, helplessness, and variety of psychological and behavioral symptoms. Evidence shows that a stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) is a traumatic experience leading to ICU survivors developing PTSD. A literature review was done across PubMed, Google scholar, SCOPUS. ICU survivors, post-traumatic stress disorder, were the keywords used for the search. The overall prevalence of PTSD among ICU survivors ranged between 3.7% - 43.7%. The most commonly observed features included nightmares, memories of the trauma, hypervigilance, irritability, emotional withdrawal, poor concentration, and difficulty sleeping. Some individuals also experienced depression (32%) and anxiety (38%) in conjunction with PTSD. Management of PTSD among ICU survivors includes pharmacological as well as non - pharmacological interventions. The article concluded that PTSD among ICU survivors vary significantly and this condition is common, with symptoms of post-traumatic stress potentially lasting for several months following recovery from critical illness.
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