Doctors,
counselors and therapists
Secondary victimization or compassion fatigue is the result of working with people
who are suffering. It is related to empathetic ability — the ability of
the professional helper to respond to the pain of others. Working as a doctor
with the injured victims or as a therapist listening to the retelling of the
event is highly stressful. This is true even for those helpers who are well-trained
in dealing with disaster.
Like rescuers, even well-trained helping professionals will encounter cases that
overwhelm their defenses. In the case of these professionals, instead of talking
about post-traumatic stress, we are more likely to talk about burnout. After
an intense period of working with victims, the professional becomes irritable,
tired and less enthusiastic.
In addition, the helper might become cynical and have a strong feeling that what
they are doing makes no difference. Family service workers, for example, who
deal with abused children and their families, often suffer burnout quickly.
Members of this group should also take steps to protect mental health. Debriefing
with other professionals who understand the particular stresses of the disaster
helps, as does having outside activities to restore their energy. Professional
helpers need to recognize their limits and accept the fact that they are of greater
value if they pull back on occasion to conserve energy.
Summing up
During the next weeks and months, Americans are going to become increasingly
aware of the psychological damage this terrorist attack has caused. We are fortunate
we have learned much over the past 20 years about traumatic stress and have trained
many professionals to recognize and treat it. We no longer expect those who have
been in a disaster to walk away undamaged.
Although the mental health of many will be permanently scarred, others will eventually
become stronger and able to cope. As a nation we have been traumatized, but eventually
we might be stronger for what we have experienced.
