Cognitive Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following Critical Illness and Intensive Care Unit Admission

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Around a quarter of patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs) will develop symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Given the dramatic increase in ICU admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, post-ICU PTSD is a relevant concern at the time of writing. Post-ICU PTSD can present various challenges to clinicians, and no clinical guidelines have been published for delivering trauma-focused CBT with this population. In this article, we describe how to use cognitive therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD), a first line treatment for PTSD recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Using clinical case examples, we outline the key techniques involved in CT-PTSD, and describe their application to treating patients with PTSD following ICU.</jats:p> <jats:p>Key learning aims: <jats:list list-type="bullet"> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>To recognise PTSD following admissions to intensive care units (ICUs)</jats:p> </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>To understand how the ICU experience can lead to PTSD development</jats:p> </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>To understand how Ehlers and Clark’s (2000) cognitive model of PTSD can be applied to post-ICU PTSD</jats:p> </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>To be able to apply cognitive therapy for PTSD to patients with post-ICU PTSD</jats:p> </jats:list-item> </jats:list></jats:p>