Compassion Fatigue Among Caregivers

Sometimes caregivers are unable to make the individuals they treat feel better. This causes a form of post-traumatic stress: compassion fatigue  . Compassion fatigue is a condition that arises from caring for and empathizing with patients. Seeing the physical, psychological, social, and mental pain of their patients exhausts these caregivers. As time goes on, some even begin to experience this pain indirectly.

Empathy as a cause of stress

A patient who receives dialysis every day of the week  will undoubtedly bond with his or her healthcare provider. Just because the two see each other on a daily basis, exchange observations and express hope for improvement, a friendly kind of trust develops.

Admittedly, it’s important to know how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Healthcare providers need to know and connect with their patients’ needs. However, empathy also has a downside, and can trigger certain types of stress. This is exactly what happens with compassion fatigue.

Empathy improves the quality of treatment. At the same time, however, it also increases the vulnerability of caregivers and increases their risk of burnout. In short,  the more empathy, the greater the risk of compassion fatigue.

Brain Mechanisms of Empathy

In 1995, Charles Figley, director of the Traumatology Institute at Tulane University in New Orleans, coined the term compassion fatigue. He noted that over time, mental health professionals working with traumatized people began to experience the effects of the trauma indirectly.

Although the origin of the term is quite recent, the brain mechanisms that explain it have been known for some time. They are related to  empathy and imitative behavior. In short, the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex and mirror neurons allow you to empathize with another person.

When there is severe pain and deep suffering , people’s capacity for empathy grows. In this case, compassion fatigue becomes more noticeable.

Compassion Fatigue Symptoms

Compassion fatigue is the result of a cumulative process. As we have seen, it develops as a result of emotional turmoil that is reinforced by continuous and intensive contact with patients. But what are the signs and symptoms that come with it?

• Cognitive : Memory problems, lack of attention and concentration, recurring negative thoughts, flashbacks.
• Emotional : Intense feelings of fear, sadness, anger, general despair, loss of joy or happiness.
• Physical : Abdominal pain and indigestion, dizziness, headache, hypertension, pain, muscle tension, chronic fatigue, difficulty falling asleep.

Finally, the following expressions in the workplace can be a sign of compassion fatigue: low motivation, feelings of incomprehension, the impression of incompetence and distancing from colleagues.

The relationship with post-traumatic stress disorder

You may have noticed that compassion fatigue has a lot in common with post-traumatic stress disorder. Let’s see what PTSD consists of. A stressful or traumatic event triggers it, an event that carries the threat of extreme physical harm. The body then reacts with intense stress in an attempt to adapt to the environment. This can happen at any age and can occur long after the traumatic event.

Compassion fatigue, on the other hand, suddenly rears its head. In addition, the stress is caused by multiple triggers, not by a single event. In other words, the caregiver’s constant exposure, emotional involvement, and therapeutic relationship with the patient trigger the response.

Three groups of shared symptoms

Compassion fatigue and PTSD share some symptoms:

• Reliving the moment. If the conflict is not resolved, the affected person may relive or recall a traumatic experience in the form of worrying or flashbacks. This is particularly complicated for healthcare providers. It is not too much work that causes the stress, but the emotional involvement with their patient.
• Avoidance and psychological numbness. The person tries to avoid thoughts, emotions, people, places, tasks, and situations that remind him or her of the traumatic event. In addition, they tend to get rid of things they associate with the event and stop participating in activities they previously enjoyed. In addition to PTSD, a person with compassion fatigue also experiences discomfort, irritation, and confusion. They remove themselves physically and emotionally from their patients and other people, which can harm their social lives.

• Hyperactivation. Arousal is the level of physical activation. In this case, patients experience a constant state of tension and alertness. They react in an extreme way to almost everything.

How to deal with compassion fatigue

Now that you know what compassion fatigue is, you can see the importance of good emotional management in healthcare. Some recommendations to deal with this situation are:

• Take time for yourself  to gain perspective and disconnect
• Identify the qualities and resources that can help you in situations where others are in pain.
• Get enough sleep  and eat healthy.
• Get plenty of exercise and do relaxation exercises.

• Share your thoughts and feelings  with your colleagues.

As you can be, the side effects of emotional and painful situations are very real. Even trained professionals sometimes struggle to deal with this. Taking care of yourself is a priority that you should not forget. In fact, it is very important if you want to give the best possible treatment to your patients.