What exactly is compassion fatigue? This phrase is widely used in relation to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has resulted in millions of patients being admitted to hospitals over the course of several months. Long-term exposure to compassion stress and everything it evokes can lead to compassion fatigue, a state of depletion, and physical, psychological, and social dysfunction.
According to the researchers Coetzee and Klopper, it is "a lack of the nurturing skills necessary for providing care with compassion. Caring professionals' primary challenge is to present themselves as present and empathetic. The personal cost of caring, in the form of symptoms like CF, can become too much to bear if this transition stalls."
Here, secondary stress from trauma is compounded by burnout, the inability to deal with routine activities, obligations, and environments owing to mental and physical tiredness.
Those who spend the most time with trauma victims and are thus most exposed to their terrible experiences are also the most vulnerable to compassion fatigue (CF). Those in the medical field, those in emergency services, those in social and community services, and those in related fields such as mental health professionals are all included here. Negative interpersonal interactions with coworkers, sloppy service to patients, and psychological issues, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, are all knock-on effects.
What Factors Contribute to Compassion Fatigue?
The price of sympathy and empathy for the people they serve is a major contributor to the prevalence of this illness among service employees. Mental Health Professionals along with all other groups outlined earlier, jeopardize their physical and mental well-being when they emotionally invest in their clients' or patients' traumatic experiences to alleviate those experiences. Their loved ones and the companies they work for are also at stake.
Secondary traumatic stress (STS) manifests as an extreme preoccupation with the suffering of others. To add insult to injury, burnout can also cause rage, exhaustion, and a short temper. To ease their suffering, the caregiver may turn to drugs or alcohol. They may develop an insensitivity to suffering, behaving as though no one else's suffering matters to them.
The more intense the trauma and the more thorough and direct the exposure to the victim, the more detrimental the effects of direct contact with the victim. Increases in the prevalence of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation are likely to lead to more cases of absenteeism, claims for psychological damage, employee turnover, and lower productivity.
Solutions for Overcoming and Preventing Compassion Fatigue
Physical symptoms (headaches, sleep disturbances, stomach difficulties, and low back pain) and psychological suffering (unstable mood, aggressive or irritable attitudes, and a lack of self-confidence) can all be indicators of CF. Memory loss, inability to concentrate, muddled thinking, difficulty forming whole thoughts, and an increased propensity to worry are all signs of cognitive impairment. Lack of energy and activity, frequent crying episodes, substance or alcohol misuse, social withdrawal, and dangerous actions are all signs of a behavioral disorder.
Resilience training appears to be the key to avoiding CF by fostering a feeling of agency and self-worth, and it is recommended that such programs be made available to at-risk occupational groups.
One such program teaches its participants how to take care of themselves, how to develop a support system, how to be proactive rather than reactive, how to manage their autonomic nervous system, and how to develop a more objective and mature perspective on themselves and their work environment.
Better interactions with patients and family members, as well as fewer disagreements at work, could result from training in effective communication. It's possible that this could aid in empathetic communication with patients and clients, which would lead to more confidence, better treatment, and enhanced well-being.
Conclusion
Compassion fatigue is a very real and serious phenomenon. It is an emotional and physical state of exhaustion that can affect anyone who provides care and support to people suffering or needing assistance. It is important to understand the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue so that it can be addressed in a timely manner.
Indeed, it is essential to take steps to prevent and reduce compassion fatigue by recognizing its signs, creating supportive environments, and providing access to resources and support.
If you are looking for a great source of self-love clothes for therapists, look no further than our fun selections here at Therapy Exchange. We offer a wide range of fun and edgy premium quality apparel and accessories for mental health professionals to help them show a bit of self-love and to help them relax from the heavy load of therapy work. Click on our ‘Shop’ tab above and discover more of our high-quality apparels and their prices.