The trauma of intensive care often triggers long-term mental health problems, and counseling is crucial to rehabilitation, says an article published in The Guardian.
Psychologist’s experience
Dr Dorothy Wade, the principal psychologist for intensive care at University College Hospital and honorary associate professor at University College London shares some mind terrifying and bizarre experiences working at ICUs and Covid-19 wards in London hospital.
“Last night the porters took me down to the basement in a supermarket trolley. I was met by hooded monks who stole my soul and turned me into a zombie. I woke up in my own coffin.”
“I heard the nurses whispering about me in the night behind the blue curtains. They are plotting to murder me and my baby, and I saw one of them take a gun from her handbag.”
He says that these stories are hallucinations or delusions from ICU delirium, a syndrome caused by drugs, infections, lack of oxygen, and other medical reasons. But to patients, these visions are vividly and unarguably real.
The estimation of patients in delirium
Up to 80% of patients who are sedated suffer from delirium. The delirium may haunt people in flashbacks and nightmares for months or even years. Up to 50% may develop serious anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
These scary, intrusive memories from part of a post-ICU syndrome (PICS). PICS has profound effects on people’s quality of life, relationships, and livelihoods. People forget to take important pills or lose the ability to drive or manage their finances.
Impact of Covid
The psychological impact of severe Covid-19 is not qualitatively different from other critical illnesses, but many more people have been affected than usual.
The ICU conditions worsened during Covid-19 as there are no families at the bedside, staff in PPE kit throughout, little time to talk or hold hands, overcrowded wards with few windows, and the constant hum of monitors and beeping alarms.
About 28% of people who were in ICU with severe Covid-19 have PTSD, 31% depression, and 42% anxiety a month after the hospital.
The cure to this delirium
Dr. Dorothy further says , “if problems are detected, we refer patients to medical services, community rehabilitation or specialist psychology clinics.”
While progress has been made, 50% of hospitals don’t provide ICU follow-up. Many Covid patients hospitalised during the first surge have been left stranded as community services struggle to cope.
For some, a lifeline may be thrown by post-ICU support groups run by hospitals or the patient charity ICUsteps. At the first online meeting of our group, people said they were having a tough time. Several people have not left home since the pandemic began for fear of going back to ICU. Some still struggle to distinguish reality from ICU nightmares.
Thus, all shared their stories, heard , understood and encouraged others. This proved to be beneficial to recover from the trauma of the ICU’s.
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Source: The Guardian
