Large number of ICU staff suffer from mental health issues: Study

Nearly half of intensive care unit staff likely suffer from mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and severe anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study released Tuesday by researchers from King’s College London.  

Researchers surveyed more than 700 health care workers at nine ICUs in England last summer, finding that about 40% of health care workers met the threshold for PTSD, and more than one in eight respondents said they frequently thought that they would be better off dead or considered hurting themselves in the two weeks prior to the survey.

The study also found that 6% of respondents exhibited signs of severe depression, 11% said they suffered from severe anxiety, and 7% said they had developed a drinking problem.

The researchers urge health care facilities to put into place “evidence-based mechanisms” to enable staff to receive prompt treatment for mental health issues.

The study was published in the journal Occupational Medicine.

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