Whether you’re a professional carer or personal circumstances have led to you caring for a loved one at home, it’s in our nature to do all we possibly can to ensure those who need our help are cared for, safe and loved. But for those in a position of care, Compassion Fatigue is a very real, sometimes debilitating, condition which can negatively impact a person’s mental and physical health and wellbeing. It can make it difficult, or even impossible, for a carer to perform the duties required of them.
For those at risk of developing Compassion Fatigue, understanding the symptoms and knowing which treatment options are available is a great way to ensure you’re able to tackle it head on, should the need ever arise. According to the American Institute of Stress, Compassion Fatigue is broadly defined as “the emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events”. It is most commonly diagnosed in those who regularly interact with victims of trauma or disaster at work, such as healthcare workers, emergency responders, social workers, therapists and journalists, and can even have a secondary impact upon their loved ones, too. It can arise as a result of working alongside just one particularly traumatic case, or as a result of working in a particularly challenging profession for many years. Compassion Fatigue can manifest itself in a variety of ways, but one of the most common and most striking effects is ’emotional numbness’. When people begin to develop the symptoms of Compassion Fatigue, they have often reached a point where they have been exposed to the trauma of others so dramatically that they have become physically and emotionally overloaded, and are unable to feel emotionally connected to their work, and to other parts of their life. This feeling may also be accompanied by other symptoms, which may include, but are not limited to: • Difficulty concentrating, trouble with decision-making • Mood swings, especially feelings of immense irritability and anger • Feelings of hopelessness • Symptoms of depression and anxiety • Social withdrawal and self-isolation • Physical symptoms, such as headaches, or an unsettled stomach • An increase in use of substances such as drugs and alcohol
