Combating Compassion Fatigue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Combating Compassion Fatigue - Essay Example Therefore, compassion fatigue is characterized by extraneous stress resulting from poor working condition of the caregiver. Most psychologists from the United States clarify that new recruits in nursing often find themselves in similar situations even before they are fully absorbed in the profession (Ekedahl & Wengstrà ¶m, 2008). Regardless of whatever signs a patient may exhibit, symptom of compassion fatigue translates into stress after, which other negative signs accompanied by physical changes become visible (Bush, 2009). While most of the symptoms associated with the above condition can be controlled, there is no magic that compassion fatigue can be dealt with completely. Some of the most usual signs of compassion fatigue include the following: Exhaustion - Most caregivers may feel exhausted at the beginning of the day even before they commence working on their duties thus entertaining a lot of laxities even after having spent a week of relaxation, they would still feel physical weary (Bush, 2009). Increased consumption of alcohol - It has been pointed out that the working day long full of stress, some nurses do resort to engaging into alcohol consumption to unwound stress that they have encountered after a hard day engagements with the patients. However, increases resilience on alcohol will not generate anything constructive instead leads to irritability and loss of money (Bush, 2009). Inability to make a personal decision - It has also been identified that caregivers who are undergoing compassion fatigue situation often feel a sense of incompetency to make a personal decision. Some nurses who are extremely stressed would get to an extent of doubting their clinical competencies. Others would go to the extent of consulting on a simple issue that could have otherwise been solved without engaging another party (Bush, 2009). Depersonalization - People who are associated with compassion fatigue-disorder tend to distance