Common psychological issues

Common psychosocial issues

While returning home might feel like a big relief for some people, it can also feel quite overwhelming to be without the reassurance and support of hospital staff.

It is common for the first few weeks and months of being back home to feel quite strange. You may not quite feel like you did before you became ill, and it can sometimes be hard for others to fully understand what you have gone through and how it feels to face the future.

For some, it can be helpful to speak with other people who have had similar experiences.

For people who were in Guy’s or St Thomas’ ICU, we offer an Online Peer Support Group (contact icuclinic@gstt.nhs.uk if you want to find out more).

ICU Steps, a national charity set up by ICU survivors, also has support groups across the country. You can find out more from their website at www.icusteps.org

Upsetting nightmares and ‘flashback’ memories, worry about the future, feeling detached from others, irritability, a deep sense of loss, feeling more vulnerable than before, difficulty sleeping, finding it hard to enjoy things and a general sense of unease are all very common after critical illness requiring intensive care. These often pass by themselves with time, as people get back into a rhythm of life after hospital and with the support of family and friends. 

If these problems continue for several weeks without improvement, or cause significant distress and impairment, you can seek professional help.

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services are available across England and have been developed to provide talking therapies to help people who are:

• Feeling down, low or depressed
• Feeling stressed or anxious
• Finding it hard to control worrying
• Anxious in social situations
• Experiencing low mood or anxiety in pregnancy or the first year after birth
• Experiencing panic attacks
• Experiencing flash backs of traumatic events
• Caught up in excessive washing or checking
• Experiencing anxiety, stress and low mood linked to a long-term medical condition
• Worry or stress related to caring for someone with significant health or emotional needs

You can talk with your GP for more information, or read more tips in our article called 'getting help'. 

If you are very worried about your emotional wellbeing and you need help in a crisis:

• Talk with trusted friends or family who you think will be supportive if you are in distress
• If you need urgent help but can wait until the next day then your GP can be the first point of contact to help navigate the best service for you. You can request an emergency appointment with whoever is on duty.
• If you feel unsafe and need immediate help go to your nearest hospital with an Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department where the psychiatric liaison team can help you (24 hours a day, 365 days of the year).

You can also Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans day or night for free or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours.