Post-traumatic Stress Experienced By Family Members Months After Loved One's Stay In Intensive Care Unit

The study, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found that symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members of ICU patients diminished over time, but high rates of post-traumatic stress and complicated grief remained.

"Our findings suggest that family members of patients in the intensive care unit are at risk for serious psychological disorders that may require treatment," said Cindy L. Bryce, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "Unfortunately, it may be difficult to identify these family members while their loved one is in the hospital because the symptoms that we can observe and measure early