Anticipating PTSD in severe COVID survivors: the case for screen-and-treat

Talya Greene; Sharif El-Leithy; Jo Billings; Idit Albert; Jennifer Birch; Mari Campbell; Kim Ehntholt; Lorna Fortune; Nicola Gilbert; Nick Grey; Laurinne Hana; Helen Kennerley; Deborah Lee; Sarah Lunn; Dominic Murphy; Mary Robertson; Dorothy Wade; Chris R Brewin; Michael A P Bloomfield

doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.1959707

Anticipating PTSD in severe COVID survivors: the case for screen-and-treat

Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2022 Jan 26;13(1):1959707. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2021.1959707. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Talya Greene^{1

2}, Sharif El-Leithy³, Jo Billings², Idit Albert^{4

5}, Jennifer Birch^{6

7}, Mari Campbell⁸, Kim Ehntholt⁹, Lorna Fortune^{10

11}, Nicola Gilbert¹², Nick Grey^{12

13}, Laurinne Hana^{9

14}, Helen Kennerley^{15

16}, Deborah Lee¹⁷, Sarah Lunn^{9

18}, Dominic Murphy⁵, Mary Robertson⁹, Dorothy Wade¹⁹, Chris R Brewin²⁰, Michael A P Bloomfield^{9

14

21

22}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Mental Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
² Division of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, University College London, London, UK.
³ Traumatic Stress Service, South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
⁴ Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma, South London & Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁶ Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychology Therapies, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
⁷ Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK.
⁸ Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁹ The Traumatic Stress Clinic, St Pancras Hospital, Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁰ Barnet Enfield & Haringey MHT, London, UK.
¹¹ North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.
¹² Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex, UK.
¹³ School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
¹⁴ University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁵ Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
¹⁶ Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹⁷ Berkshire Traumatic Stress Service, Berkshire Foundation NHS Trust, Reading, UK.
¹⁸ Whittington Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
¹⁹ Critical Care Department, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
²⁰ Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
²¹ Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, University College London, London, UK.
²² National Institute for Health Research, University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK.

Abstract
in English, Spanish, Chinese

Based on research from previous pandemics, studies of critical care survivors, and emerging COVID-19 data, we estimate that up to 30% of survivors of severe COVID will develop PTSD. PTSD is frequently undetected across primary and secondary care settings and the psychological needs of survivors may be overshadowed by a focus on physical recovery. Delayed PTSD diagnosis is associated with poor outcomes. There is a clear case for survivors of severe COVID to be systematically screened for PTSD, and those that develop PTSD should receive timely access to evidence-based treatment for PTSD and other mental health problems by multidisciplinary teams.

Basados en la investigación de pandemias previas, los estudios de los sobrevivientes a cuidados críticos, y los datos emergentes de COVID-19, estimamos que hasta un 30% de los sobrevivientes del COVID grave desarrollarán TEPT. El TEPT es frecuentemente subdetectado en los servicios de salud primarios y secundarios y las necesidades psicológicas de los sobrevivientes puede verse eclipsadas por un enfoque en la recuperación física. El diagnóstico tardío de TEPT se asocia con pobres resultados. Existe un caso claro para que los sobrevivientes del COVID grave sean evaluados sistemáticamente para detectar el TEPT, y aquellos que desarrollan un TEPT deben tener acceso oportuno a tratamientos basados en la evidencia para el TEPT y para otros problemas de salud mental por equipos multidisciplinarios.

根据先前对疫情, 重症监护幸存者的研究和新兴的 COVID-19 数据, 我们估计多达 30% 的重症 COVID 幸存者将发展出 PTSD。 PTSD 经常不会被初级和二级医疗机构发现, 幸存者的心理需求可能会被对身体康复的关注所掩盖。延迟的 PTSD 诊断与不良结果相关。有一个明确的案例, 重症 COVID 幸存者需要系统性地接受 PTSD 筛查, 那些发展出 PTSD 的人应该能够及时获得多学科团队针对 PTSD 和其他心理健康问题的循证治疗。.

Keywords: PTSD assessment; Psychological trauma; critical care; intensive care; long COVID; mental health screening.

Publication types

Letter

MeSH terms

COVID-19 / epidemiology
COVID-19 / psychology*
Humans
Mass Screening
Pandemics
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
Survivors / psychology*

Abstract in English, Spanish, Chinese

Publication types

MeSH terms

Abstract
in English, Spanish, Chinese