Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Aug 2005
ReviewEpidemiology and treatment of psychiatric conditions that develop after critical illness.
As a greater number of patients survive critical illness, there is increasing interest in accelerating patients' recovery after intensive care unit discharge. There is compelling evidence that psychiatric illnesses such as depression impair functional status in patients with chronic medical illnesses. Therefore, psychiatric conditions that develop after critical illness are a logical target for treatment or prevention strategies to improve recovery after critical illness. ⋯ Psychiatric symptoms and disorders affect 15%-35% of patients months after intensive care unit discharge. There is no consistent evidence that antidepressant medications are safe or effective in critically ill patients. Understanding the causal pathways that lead from acute medical stress to neuronal alterations and subsequent psychiatric symptoms will allow more precise targeting of preventive interventions.