Li JB, Rong W. Severe anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders worsen prognosis in patients with septic shock. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(7): 107038 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i7.107038]
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2025; 15(7): 107038 Published online Jul 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i7.107038
Severe anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders worsen prognosis in patients with septic shock
Jiang-Bo Li, Wei Rong
Jiang-Bo Li, Department of Psychosomatics, Jianyang People's Hospital, Jianyang 641400, Sichuan Province, China
Wei Rong, Department of Clinical Psychology, Wuhu Hospital Affiliated to East China Normal University, Wuhu 241000, Anhui Province, China
Co-first authors: Jiang-Bo Li and Wei Rong.
Author contributions: Li JB and Rong W designed the study, wrote the manuscript. All the authors contributed equally to this work and have approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Received: March 13, 2025 Revised: April 7, 2025 Accepted: April 23, 2025 Published online: July 19, 2025 Processing time: 118 Days and 20.1 Hours
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed that patients with septic shock and acute skin failure (ASF) exhibit significantly higher levels of inflammatory cytokines, lactate, and C-reactive protein, along with elevated skin mottling score; modified early warning score (MEWS); and anxiety, depression, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index scores compared to those without ASF. Notably, these indicators are significantly correlated. Patients with septic shock accompanied by ASF tend to have a mean MEWS greater than 9, indicating severe disease progression. Therefore, it is essential to not only manage septic shock but also mitigate anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and disturbances of consciousness. This article explores the impact of severe anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders on the prognosis of septic shock and discusses intervention strategies.
Core Tip: Patients with septic shock and acute skin failure (ASF) exhibited significantly higher levels of inflammatory cytokines, lactate, and clinical severity scores compared to those without ASF, accompanied by severe anxiety and depression, as well as sleep disorders. These pathological changes are significantly correlated. Severe anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders may serve as important indicators of disease progression and poor prognosis in patients with septic shock and ASF. Psychological interventions, psychotropic medications, and meticulous nursing care for anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders may improve the prognosis of patients with septic shock.
