Nearly half of ICU staff have post-traumatic stress: UK

The high mortality rate of coronavirus is severely affecting the mental health of healthcare workers, researchers say
Reuters Health

Nearly half of staff working in ICU in England in the COVID-19 pandemic have severe anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study.

Many ICU nurses and doctors meet the clinical threshold for PTSD, anxiety or problem drinking, and symptoms are so severe that some reported contemplating self-harm or suicide.

More than three million people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19 disease and the government says hospitals and intensive care wards are on the brink of being overwhelmed.

More than 81,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Britain, the world’s fifth-highest official death toll in the global pandemic.