Cognitive therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder following critical illness and intensive care unit admission
Abstract
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.
Citations
Murray, H., Grey, N., Wild, J., Warnock-Parkes, E., Kerr, A., Clark, D., & Ehlers, A. (2020). Cognitive Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following Critical Illness and Intensive Care Unit Admission. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 1-36.
Page last reviewed: 12 June, 2025
Metadata
Author(s): Clark, David M; Ehlers, Anke; Murray, Hannah; Warnock-Parkes, Emma; Wild, Jennifer
Collection: 123456789/30
Subject(s): Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Format(s): Article
Date issued: 2020-04
ISSN: 1754-470X
ID: 428