The term compassion fatigue gets thrown around a lot in the healthcare space, and rightly so. But it’s hard to nail down exactly what it means when you haven’t experienced it before. The huge emotional toll of working as a veterinarian can have massive effects on our mental health, and compassion fatigue can be mentally and physically debilitating.
We’ve all had a cry with an owner while euthanising a beloved pet, or felt the burden of making really difficult ethical decisions under a lot of pressure, especially when the threads of a client’s finances and love for their animals under our care become entangled. But what exactly does compassion fatigue feel like and what can trigger it?
A definition:
Compassion fatigue is a condition characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others, often described as the negative cost of caring.
Compassion Fatigue vs Burnout
This might commonly be mistaken for burnout, however according to WebMD, burnout is a cumulative sense of fatigue or dissatisfaction. While burnout is included as one form of fatigue, the term compassion fatigue encompasses a more specific experience, which may be brought about by a stressful workplace or environment, lack of resources, or excessive hours.
In comparison to burnout, compassion fatigue mainly affects healthcare professionals who provide direct patient care (e.g. doctors, therapists, psychologists, veterinarians, homeless shelter workers). Burnout will typically emerge over a long time in any profession, whereas compassion fatigue can have a lot more acute onset.
Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped, to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper
Dr Charles Figley – Psychologist and University Professor
It is also sometimes known as vicarious or secondary trauma. This references the way that other people’s trauma can become the caregiver’s own.
What does it look or feel like?
Some common symptoms of people experiencing compassion fatigue can be:
- Feelings of helplessness and powerlessness in the face of patient suffering
- Reduced empathy and sensitivity
- Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by work demands
- Feeling detached, numb and emotionally disconnected
- Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
- Increased anxiety, sadness, anger and irritability
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Difficulty sleeping and sleep disturbances like nightmares
- Physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, upset stomach and dizziness
- Increased conflict in personal relationships
- Neglect of your own self-care
- Withdrawal and self-isolation
- Increase in substance use as a form of self-medication
A lot of these will resonate with people who have experienced burnout before, so it might be wise to reflect on how you’ve been feeling, how quick the onset of these feelings has been, and whether they feel more like reactions to the nature of your work and care.
Which workplace triggers can cause it?
Some examples of common compassion fatigue triggers which vets might experience are:
- Providing therapy that introduces you to extreme or severe issues
- Being physically or verbally threatened when providing care
- Providing care in dangerous environments
- Specialising in providing care for those experiencing death, grief, and bereavement
- A heavy workload, excessive demands, or long hours
- Providing services that require you to visit accident scenes, view graphic evidence, or deal with evidence or reports of trauma (e.g. RSPCA neglect and abuse cases).
What can we do if we’ve got compassion fatigue?
Seek professional help
It is common to feel overwhelmed by work in a veterinary practice, especially if you happen to have a particularly busy day, or staffing levels aren’t what they should be. However, if you feel that you seem to constantly be in a state of overwhelm and it is affecting your home life as well, you should maybe consider speaking to your GP to see if they can direct you to a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Prioritise self care
It can seem like an impossible thing on the bottom of the to-do list when you’re working the long hours of a veterinary surgeon or nurse. But self-care doesn’t have to take too long and make a huge difference in mindset if you begin to invest in yourself.
Small and easy habits to pick up are:
- Making sure you get enough sleep every night (try meditation apps or reading to help slow your mind down before bed)
- Step outside into nature. Either have a sit outside while you’re on a lunch break or go for a short walk after work.
- Practice gratitude. This only needs to take up 5 minutes of your day, just think of 3 things you’re grateful for today while you’re getting ready for bed, or maybe on your commute home.
- Keep hydrated and take time to eat well.
- Catch up with a loved one before or after work. It’s easy to slowly spiral yourself into isolation so you could try scheduling video-chat dates with friends and family each week.
Speak to VetLife
Another thing you can do for yourself which doesn’t even involve stepping out of the house, is reaching out to VetLife. They are an amazing and free mental health resource who specifically deal with vets all day every day. VetLife is available 24/7 and 365 days per year, and have qualified mental health volunteers ready to take your call (0303 040 2551) or email. They know exactly why vets are at a really high risk of compassion fatigue and how they might be struggling so do not hesitate to get in touch.
Push for orgnanisational shift
Finally, there might be others at your workplace in the same boat. Sharing how you’re feeling is a really hard thing to do, as a lot of people hold negative connotations with compassion fatigue and don’t want to feel like they’re admitting failure (compassion fatigue is absolutely not a failure!). But if a few people come forward, then it holds the organisation more accountable and might push for a bigger shift in workplace systems.
Support from leaders and management has got to happen in order to provide long-term improvement and recovery for you and your colleagues. Improving the culture and efficacy of the work environment can make huge contributions to greater veterinary resilience.
Conclusion
Compassion fatigue should not be brushed under the rug as just another form of burnout, but should be talked about as a proper mental health problem in its own right. Healthcare professionals shouldn’t have to suffer alone, and hopefully this article might help someone recognise their symptoms as those of compassion fatigue and encourage them to reach out to friends, loved ones and trained professionals for support.
ThisVetCan 