Can we prevent chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in caregivers of critical care patients?

Abstract

In an editorial entitled “Risk of post-traumatic stress disorder in family caregivers of neuroscience intensive care unit patients” Choi and Tate (2018) (1) discussed family caregivers’ challenges associated with caring for critical care patients, their risk for chronic emotional distress, and need for psychosocial interventions focused on preventing chronic emotional distress. The editorial highlights a recent article led by Choi et al . (2018) (2) which found, in a prospective study of caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) patients followed from hospitalization to 3 and 6 months later, that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remained generally stable over time, and early PTSD was the strongest predictor of PTSD at a future time point.