Many of the symptoms of compassion fatigue can mirror the symptoms of the affected person (Tyson, 2007). These symptoms can range in severity and duration; however, the disorder is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in connection to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as secondary traumatic stress (Figley, 2002). Compassion fatigue differs from PTSD in that the caregiver has not directly experienced the trauma. According to the Diagnostic Statistics Manual (DSM-IV) PTSD is the "development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience of an event OR learning about unexpected or violent death, serious harm or threat of death by a family member or close associate" (cited by Figley, 1995). The criteria for compassion fatigue according to the DSM is the same as that of PTSD. The difference according to Figley is that the caregiver is not in direct exposure to the traumatic event.
The most important thing a caregiver can do to help protect themselves from possibly developing compassion fatigue is to educate themselves about PTSD and compassion fatigue as well as have a strong social network. While this will not completely prevent a person from developing compassion fatigue, it will help to buffer the severity of the symptoms (Tyson, 2007). |
Symptoms
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