Admission to an ICU is associated with a higher rate of suicide and self-harm post-discharge than other admissions, Canadian researchers report.

“When patients leave the ICU, we used to think that was the end of the battle — they had survived, and we had done our job,” says lead author Dr Shannon Fernando of Ottawa Hospital. 

However, research began to show that ICU survivors had substantial morbidity, including functional impairment, reduced quality of life and financial difficulties for years after they left the hospital.

“This has been collectively referred to as ‘post-intensive care syndrome’,” says Dr Fernando.