Warning signs of compassion fatigue feelings of helplessness and powerlessness in the face of patient suffering. reduced feelings of empathy and sensitivity. feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by work demands. feeling detached, numb and emotionally disconnected.
There may be lapses in memory or forgetfulness. Over time, the person may develop a negative self-image and feelings of inadequacy and helplessness (4). Essentially, compassion fatigue disturbs the ability to think clearly, modulate emotions, feel effective, and maintain hope.
Some examples of common compassion fatigue triggers (causes) are: Providing therapy that introduces you to extreme or severe issues. Being physically or verbally threatened when providing care. Being confronted with suicide or threats of suicide by someone under your care.
Compassion fatigue is a term that describes the impact of helping others. Burnout is a term that describes the impact of a stressful workplace. Compassion fatigue has a quicker recovery time than burnout, if managed early. Burnout has a longer recovery time.
Compassion fatigue is similar to burnout. But burnout usually stems from having too much work or too many responsibilities. Compassion fatigue comes from helping others—you want to keep helping, but you're overwhelmed from being exposed to the trauma of others (secondary traumatic stress).
CF is defined as “a state of exhaustion and dysfunction – biologically, psychologically, and socially – as a result of prolonged exposure to compassion stress” (Figley, 1995, p. 253). CF is “identical to secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) and is the equivalent of PTSD” (Figley, 1995, p. xv).
People vulnerable to compassion fatigue include those in helping professions and those caring for people with significant chronic illness. These helpers internalize their empathy for an extended time period which can result in feelings of hopelessness, irritability, and emotional exhaustion.
To prevent or recover from compassion fatigue, take time for self-reflection, identify what's important and live in a way that reflects it. To sustain yourself at work, develop “principles of practice” — guidelines of personal integrity that articulate the parameters of your personal values.
Burnout Is a Result of Job-Related Stress
Compassion fatigue is a specific form of burnout from a professional's deep investment in aiding others. Vicarious trauma, sometimes called secondary traumatic stress, happens when professionals are repeatedly exposed to others' stress from traumatic events.
Compassion fatigue consists of two parts: burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Burnout refers to the slow onset of feelings of hopelessness and that one's work has little positive impact.
The distinction that is often made between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and compassion fatigue is that the genesis of PTSD is primary trauma (Figley, 1995, p. 8), while compassion fatigue is due to secondary trauma (Cocker & Joss, 2016).
Compassion fatigue may cause a person to lose empathy for others. People with compassion fatigue may feel cynical, apathetic, or disconnected from others. Burnout typically gets better when a person takes time away from the source of the burnout. Compassion fatigue may persist.
Zombie – If we have not discovered ways to moderate our energy for the long view, how to accept imperfections in people and systems while working for improvements, and ways to focus through complexity, we may move into the zombie stage of compassion fatigue.
Compassion fatigue occurs when psychologists or others take on the suffering of patients who have experienced extreme stress or trauma, explains Charles R. Figley, PhD, founder of the Traumatology Institute at Tulane University.
Compassion fatigue can be defined as the feelings of frustration and exhaustion when a care partner experiences self-blame and loss of energy due to caregiving (Mattioli et al., 2018). The care partner role can mean stressful and emotional situations.
There are three important components of Compassion Fatigue: Compassion satisfaction, secondary stress, and burnout.
Defining Attributes. Defining attributes refer to the most frequently associated referents to the concept under analysis (Walker and Avant 2011). Within the analysis of CF, three major attributes arose that included: psychological stress, witnessing negative experiences of others, and depression.
Compassion fatigue is a preoccupation with absorbing trauma and emotional stresses of others, and this creates a secondary traumatic stress in the helper.
Although compassion fatigue is sometimes called burnout, it is a slightly different concept. Unlike burnout, compassion fatigue is highly treatable and may be less predictable. The onset of compassion fatigue can be sudden, whereas burnout usually emerges over time.
Compassion Fatigue Self-Test
Sample statements about you include: I force myself to avoid certain thoughts or feelings that remind me of a frightening experience. I find myself avoiding certain activities or situations because they remind me of a frightening experience.
They concluded, based on two studies, that the prevalence of compassion fatigue was 7.3% and 40%, respectively, and that the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress, based on five studies, ranged from 0% to 38.5%, while the prevalence of burnout was between 0% and 70.1%.