If a loved one is in intensive care, there’s a strong chance he’ll end up suffering from ICU psychosis. What causes it, why does it often go unrecognized, and how are doctors trying to prevent it?,
UNIQUE BUT NOT RARE According to one statistic ICU delirium affects a staggering 80 percent of all ICU patients. Another stat suggests that one in every three patients who spends more than five days in an ICU experiences some form of psychotic reaction
“I was sitting with my husband in the ICU when he suddenly began ripping at his IV line yanking at the wires and saying over and over again ‘I have to get out of here!’ ” remembers Ariella who still gets emotional when discussing her husband’s weeklong stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) several years back. “I tried calming Dovid but he just stared back at me with this frantic look in his eyes. He seemed to have no idea who I was.”
Over the next 24 hours things quickly deteriorated. Dovid began experiencing hallucinations and delusions that came and went. There were moments when he didn’t recognize his wife of over a decade and moments when he’d berate her for mistreating him. Once he actually accused her of trying to kill him.
“I was completely dedicated to my husband while he was hospitalized at his bedside throughout the day and night constantly speaking to doctors and nurses about his care and condition. But when he began hurling ridiculous accusations at me it was just too much for me to take ” says Ariella. “Even once he recovered I couldn’t forget what he’d said.”
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