Compassion Fatigue: A Caregiver’s Silent Battle

Whenever we have a mental breakdown or mental illness and physical illness, we always reach out to health care providers, don’t we? Did you know they also face some kind of distress?  Consider, when you try to assist your friend with their life problems, you trying to put yourself in their shoes, the tension and disturbance while empathizing can be quite real and exhausting.  Now, imagine your mental health providers they listen to numerous problems in their careers.  How much exhausting that might be? Although they are professionals, they are still human. Let’s learn about compassion fatigue that our healthcare providers might go through. 

What is Compassion Fatigue?

It refers to the strain on one’s emotional, physical, and psychological when regularly assisting others, especially in stressful and traumatic events. People who are working in healthcare professions, often witness the suffering of others and experience compassion fatigue. This includes legal professionals, medical personnel, therapists, first responders, nurses, and other service providers, who are more susceptible to experiencing compassion fatigue. It is also referred to as secondary trauma or secondhand shock. It is commonly confused with burnout,  which is a gradual sense of weariness and dissatisfaction over time. 

Which group are most likely to experience Compassion Fatigue?

Those in healthcare professions, emergency services, and community roles are particularly vulnerable to it due to their dedication to caring for others. It is also more common among women, who often work as caregiving professionals. Commonly affected groups are:

• Firefighters
• Veterinarians
• Hospice workers
• Military personnel
• Emergency responders
• Healthcare professionals
• Law enforcement officers
• Mental health professionals

Instances that might contribute to Caregivers Experiencing Compassion Fatigue

1. Confronted with suicide threats of the clients. 
2. Extreme workloads and not having sufficient breaks. 
3. Assisting clients with depression and other chronic illnesses. 
4. Dealing with high-pressure situations such as threats to life and verbal abuse.
5. The caregivers may find the experiences or stories of patients or clients so distressing.
6. Specializing in bereavement counselling or assisting clients who are coping with death and losses. 
7. Individuals start to feel compassion fatigue when these instances cause distress in their work,  thoughts, moods, and well-being.  

Compassion Fatigue vs. burnout

Burnout describes a state of profound exhaustion and diminished interest or motivation related to one’s job. Conversely, compassion fatigue pertains to the negative emotions felt by individuals who assist others in their professional roles, and it is especially common among those in “helping professions”, such as first responders.  Burnout involves a gradual emergence of feelings of hopelessness and a sense that one’s work has minimal positive effect.

In contrast, secondary traumatic stress is characterized by a sudden onset of symptoms similar to posttraumatic stress disorder, including nightmares, sleep disturbances, and intrusive images or thoughts, resulting from indirect exposure to highly stressful traumatic events. Compassion fatigue tends to recover more quickly than burnout if addressed early, while burnout generally requires a longer period to recover from.  

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

It can temporarily impact the ability to perform work tasks or manage daily activities. There are certain signs of compassion fatigue. Someone who experiences compassion fatigue might associate it with themselves. 

• Loss of Purpose: Individuals who go through compassion fatigue feel like they might face an existential crisis. Loss of meaning and purpose of life. 
• Insomnia: A symptom of compassion fatigue is experiencing troubling images that can interfere with the thoughts or dreams, potentially resulting in insomnia and fatigue.  
• Addiction: It is associated with covert self-medication or addiction. This can manifest as excessive drinking, gambling addiction, drug dependency, or even compulsive work habits. 
• Changes in Morals: Individuals who experience compassion fatigue also have decreased confidence, loss of interest or apathy, feeling undervalued and unappreciated, disconnected, or reduced compassion. 
• Mood Swings: Studies indicate that prolonged stress can result in mood swings. Some of the common indicators rooted in stress include shifts in moods significantly, negative thoughts, and vulnerability to irritation. 

• Physical Symptoms: It can cause a variety of physical symptoms, such as getting tired or exhausted, fatigue, alteration in sleeping and eating patterns, experience gastrointestinal problems, and head pain. 
• Detachment: A typical symptom of compassion fatigue is noticeable detachment from social interactions. For instance, neglected friendships or relationships, where they feel emotionally distant from others or experience a sense of numbness in both personal and professional aspects of their life. 
• Challenges with Being Productive: Research indicates that the stress from compassion fatigue can impact both your mind and body, leading to difficulties in concentration and productivity in both personal and professional areas. Prolonged stress can impair your memory and make it challenging to focus on your tasks. 
• Experience the feelings of Anxiety or Depression: Experiencing anxiety or depression is a typical reaction to stress or trauma. Compassion fatigue can lead to heightened anxiety, making the world seem threatening or causing the individual who experiences compassion fatigue to be overly concerned about themselves and their family’s safety.  It might also result in feelings of depression, where they may feel disheartened or doubt their professional effectiveness. 
• Imparting Focus: It can impair focus in multiple ways. Caregivers often experience heightened stress and worry because of the emotional burden they face. Moreover, chronic stress elevates cortisol and adrenaline levels, which affects clarity of thought. These issues,  along with potential disturbances in sleep also hinder one’s ability to maintain concentration. 

Causes for Compassion Fatigue

It comprises two primary components: secondary traumatic stress and burnout.  In roles where we support individuals in distress or trauma, we need to adopt the perspective of the person suffering to effectively empathize with them. This process exposes us to their emotional pain and trauma, potentially leading to secondary traumatic stress. Additionally, over time, we might experience burnout and start to feel that our efforts to help are not making a meaningful difference.  

Diagnosis for Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue does not have any diagnostic criteria in DSM-5 or ICD-10, but it is identified through some clinical assessments. Mental health professionals will help to diagnose the symptoms. They may conduct clinical interviews to assess your emotional and psychological states. They may provide psychological assessments or self-report questionnaires to diagnose the condition.  

How to Handle Compassion Fatigue

1. Focus on the positive impact you are making: Remember that your efforts, experience, and training will bring shine to other’s lives.  
2. Be patient with yourself: it is not a weakness. Give yourself time to heal and request from others. Communicating how others can assist you will make you feel valued and provide the support you need.
3. Take care of yourself: Maintain a balance, get adequate sleep, engage in physical activity, and keep hydrated in your routine, even if it is just a small walk. Practising relaxation techniques, deep breathing, and mindfulness will help you to manage your emotions. 
4. Seek help from mental health professionals: Even though you are a mental health provider or emergency responder. You might also need help from mental health professionals. Seek their help whenever you are burnout or feel fatigued. They will help to cope with this condition and hear you out with confidentiality. 
5. Listen to others who have going through the same problem: Listening to others who experienced or experiencing helps how to assess this condition and their experience may be a good lesson or advice for your suffering. Their suggestion to cope with this condition helps to enhance their well-being. 
6. Communicate your needs clearly: It is important to understand your needs, make it clear for yourself first and then try to communicate your needs to others also. This communication enables others to understand your needs and support you accordingly.  Proper communication can avoid misunderstandings.  
7. Confide in a trusted person: expressing your thoughts, feelings, and emotions to someone you trust can help you feel more in control and less alone. It could be anybody your friend, your colleague, your mentor, your parents, your romantic partner, or your siblings. They can assist you in getting ready for possible difficulties.  
8. Recognize your limits: Sometimes you may need to pull the pause button in your life.  Continuous exposure to other’s trauma might affect your emotional and mental state. It is so important to take breaks to avoid exhaustion. Returning with a refreshed perspective and renewed energy can make you more effective in supporting others. 
9. Define your boundaries: Clearly define your boundaries according to the  relationships. Understand the relationship with others and analyze which circle they belong to. Building personal boundaries assists in avoiding hurting others as well as yourself. It helps to maintain well-being and establishing these limits helps to protect your mental and emotional health.  
10. Take proactive steps to improve your environment: You are responsible for what happening around you. Make changes in your surroundings that might contribute to a healthier work-life balance. Spend quality time with your family and friends, it will help your overall well-being and happiness. Create an organized workspace, set time for relaxation, and make adjustments to your workload. Proactively managing work and personal life can reduce stress and enhance well-being. 

It refers to the strain on one’s emotional, physical, and psychological when regularly assisting others, especially in stressful and traumatic events. This was experienced by the healthcare providers when they tried to engage in emotionally demanding work. Addressing it includes seeking mental health professionals or therapists, involving self-care in your daily day routine, setting boundaries clearly, recognizing your limits, communicating your needs clearly, showing kindness to yourself and so on. Understanding and recognizing these issues promotes the individual’s resilience and also promotes overall well-being. 

FAQs: 

1. What is compassion fatigue? 

It refers to the strain on one’s emotional, physical, and psychological when regularly assisting others, especially in stressful and traumatic events. 

2. Who is at risk for compassion fatigue? 

Commonly affected groups are healthcare professionals, mental health professionals,  emergency responders, firefighters, law enforcement officers, hospice workers, veterinarians,  and military personnel. 

3. Can compassion fatigue affect one’s relationships? 

Yes, it can affect and strain personal relationships due to emotional withdrawal, irritability,  and a diminished capacity to engage empathetically with loved ones. 

4. Is compassion fatigue recognized as a psychological condition? 

Yes, it is recognized within the field of psychology and mental health, and it is often addressed within professional settings for those in caregiving roles.