The will to take care of someone in emotional pain is known as empathy. This personal trait is desirable for caregivers, health care professionals or therapists. However constant exposure can lead to the caregiver feeling their client’s agony, what can result compassion fatigue.
What is compassion fatigue?
Compassion fatigue is a state of emotional exhaustion and reduced empathy that can affect individuals, particularly those in caregiving professions. This condition arises from the constant exposure to others’ suffering and the burden of providing support and empathy. Over time, caregivers may become desensitized, leading to decreased compassion and increased burnout. This phenomenon can negatively impact one’s mental and emotional well-being. This can interfere with their ability to provide effective care.
Afbeelding 5.1. Feuntleroy, C. Pexels
Is compassion fatigue the same as burnout?
An often-made mis consumption about compassion fatigue is that it is seen as a burnout. Burnout and compassion fatigue, although similar, have different causes and focus. A burnout is usually job related, it can be the result of prolonged work-related stress, excessive amounts of work and feelings of detachment. Burnout can occur in any profession. On the other hand, is compassion fatigue related to caregiving roles and this derives from constant exposure to others emotional suffering. This exposure can lead to emotional and physical exhaustion. Both conditions share symptoms like fatigue and emotional drainage, but they have different causes. This is why it’s important to acknowledge the differences between the conditions when recognising symptoms.
How to recognize symptoms
Compassion fatigue changes the way you view the world, and yourself. This phenomenon can have a negative influence in your personal and professional life.
Recognizing compassion fatigue involves identifying signs like emotional detachment, chronic fatigue, cynicism, reduced job satisfaction, increased irritability, and declining self-care. Important to keep in mind is that signs such as these might be different for everyone. Some individuals turn to substance abuse as a coping mechanism, seeking temporary relief from emotional distress. The stress and emotional exhaustion associated with caregiving can drive them towards self-destructive behaviours.
Afbeelding 5.2. Green, A. Pexels.
Monitoring these indicators and early prevention can help prevent its detrimental effects. For more information on symptoms, visit: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/signs-compassion-fatigue
What causes compassion fatigue?
Individuals in caregiving professions like healthcare, social work, and first responders are more prone to compassion fatigue due to consistent exposure to others’ suffering and high emotional demands. The reason for that is because compassion fatigue stems from the chronic exposure to others suffering and trauma, causing emotional exhaustion and detachment. For more information on causes of compassion fatigue, visit: https://www.joyce.edu/blog/compassion-fatigue-causes/
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Cocker, F. & Joss, N. (2016, juni). Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare, Emergency and Community Service Worker A Systemativ Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 10.3390/ijerph13060618