Compassion fatigue

Compassion fatigue is a serious work hazard for those who deal with patients or clients with acute traumatic injuries, financial and social hardships, or long-term debilitating illnesses. The professions most associated with compassion fatigue include registered nurses, paramedics, first responders, emergency room staff, firefighters, psychologists, trauma therapists, welfare workers, physicians, lawyers, and charity foundation staff. These professionals are successful and provide effective care when they are able to empathize with those they help. As early as the 1950s, however, researchers tracked a new kind of professional burnout suffered by those in the helping professions whose jobs left them physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. Called compassion fatigue, or more precisely, secondary traumatic stress disorder, it impacts by some estimates, more than two-thirds of caregivers at some point during their careers.

Overview

Those in the helping professions are exposed daily to people who have suffered trauma, death, and heartbreak sometimes on a staggering scale, which over time causes a significant diminishment in their ability to connect with their patients or clients. This compassion fatigue can manifest in negative physical effects, including insomnia, weight loss, decreased job performance, anger, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, exhaustion, irritability, and headaches. Those who are most susceptible to compassion fatigue are those who lack strong out-of-work support networks, those driven to perfection, and those who tend to repress their emotions. Often, the person’s first response to these feelings is to blame themselves, feeling that they have let patients down and not lived up to their own professional standards. Commonly, the professionals lose their focus, cannot function productively, and often experience lapses in attention at critical moments. Worse, they bring negativity to the workplace, blaming others for routine errors or complaining chronically about conditions. Sometimes, these individuals recognize their own compassion fatigue and opt to pursue another profession. Others may succumb to self-destructive personal choices, including divorce and suicide. Yet others erroneously believe they need to expand their commitment to work, volunteering for punishing shifts or added responsibilities in an effort to rekindle their passion.

Researchers, however, recommend far less drastic remediation. Caregivers are advised not to blame themselves but to put their emotional crisis within a broader context. Compassion fatigue is a normal, healthy, even human reaction to the overwhelming suffering they witness. Often workaholics, they are encouraged to take time off from the work environment to recharge. They are also encouraged to take solace in family and friends—who are often neglected by those suffering compassion fatigue—and to maintain these social networks for support. Cutting out self-destructive habits—alcohol, poor diet, smoking—and setting aside time for exercise helps restore the self-worth crucial to maximum job performance. Sharing anger and frustration with colleagues rather than bottling emotions up helps alleviate the pressure, as does the pursuit of a hobby, something long-term and involving, such as gardening or a pet. The exploration of spiritual revitalization, whether from an institutional church or private meditation, can also be helpful. In each case, the caregiver seeks to reestablish the boundary between the professional and personal and return to work engaged, caring, and healthy.

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 put an immense strain on healthcare professionals and caused many experts to examine the development of compassion fatigue among frontline healthcare workers during this time. Within a year of the pandemic beginning, studies found that healthcare professionals were at a high risk of developing both compassion fatigue and burnout. This impact was continually examined as the pandemic wore on over the following years.

Bibliography

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