Body
Weakness, fatigue, and difficulty with everyday activities.
Understanding PICS
There is a name for
what you’re feeling.
Post-intensive care syndrome can affect the body, thinking, and emotional well-being after an ICU stay.
Mind
Problems with memory, attention, or organizing tasks.
Emotional health
Anxiety, depression, or symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Source: CIBS Center: PICS
What PICS means
PICS refers to difficulties that are new or have become worse after critical illness. A person may experience one area of difficulty or several at once. The effects may interfere with daily routines, relationships, or returning to work.
Some problems improve; others last. A healthcare professional can help assess symptoms and identify appropriate support.
Families need care, too.
Critical illness affects loved ones as well as patients. The term PICS-F recognizes the emotional and psychological effects that families may experience around an ICU stay.
Caregivers deserve support for their own well-being, alongside support for the person recovering.
Learn about survivor and caregiver support at VanderbiltUnderstanding the numbers
Common enough
to talk about.
30–50%
Estimated proportion of ICU survivors experiencing cognitive impairment.
Up to 1 in 3
Depression and anxiety affect up to one-third of ICU survivors in the CIBS Center’s overview.
Source: CIBS Center’s patient education overview, accessed September 17, 2026. These estimates vary with study population, definitions, and timing. They are not a single overall PICS rate, and the overview does not specify one shared follow-up time.
Read the underlying educational sourceARDS and recovery
Understanding
the connection.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious lung condition that can require intensive care. PICS describes possible effects after critical illness; the two terms do not mean the same thing.
ARDS survivors and families may benefit from both condition-specific information and support for life after the ICU.
Read the American Thoracic Society’s ARDS guideBring the conversation to your care team.
Write down the changes you have noticed and the questions you want to ask.
- Could these difficulties be related to my critical illness?
- What follow-up or rehabilitation might help?
- Is there a post-ICU clinic or support group available?
- Where can my family or caregiver find support?