For many people, an admission to ICU is a life-changing and sometimes, traumatic experience.
Whilst some people will make a full physical recovery following their ICU admission, some people do not return to their pre-ICU physical baseline.
It is understandable that a long-term change to physical health impacts on mood. The awareness that you are no longer able to do all the things that you used to do can be overwhelming, frightening, and disheartening. Learning to live with the long-term impact of critical illness can be challenging, and at times, can cause low mood or depression. It can be difficult to find the motivation to do previously enjoyed activities, and sometimes, it is physically no longer possible to carry out certain tasks.
For some people, a change in their cognition can also contribute to low mood. Sometimes, critical illness can also affect memory, concentration, and sequencing and planning skills, and this in turn can cause symptoms of low mood, loss of motivation, increased frustration and irritability, and may also impact on relationships with family members.
For most people post ICU, low mood will improve as they continue to make progress with their physical recovery. However, if you notice a worsening of low mood in yourself or a family member, seek support and speak to a member of the RaCi team about support options.
What you can do:
Set yourself small goals and compare your progress to what you were able to do once you were discharged from ICU, not what you were able to do before your admission. This will help you have a better sense of your recovery.
Try and resume some gentle activities you used to do prior to your admission, for short periods of time.
Speak to trusted friends or family members about your mood. It is important for the people around you to understand what you are going through. They may be able to support you seek further help if you need it.