Disasters May Be Causing 'Compassion Fatigue'

[tybee204]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170196,00.html

As Hurricane Rita bears down on Texas, the horrific images and stories from Hurricane Katrina are still fresh in our minds: desperate people unable to evacuate, pets left for dead, families split up and dispersed all over the country, jobs gone, homes destroyed. And it didn’t help that initial relief efforts were disorganized and slow.

It’s little wonder that many Americans well outside the hurricane zones are experiencing signs of depression and what some experts call “compassion fatigue.” And it may not be over yet.


Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Some people report sleeping poorly in the month since Katrina. Or awakening with the nagging feeling that something bad happened and taking a second to identify what it was.

Smallwood identifies some other reactions:

—You may feel odd or different all day.

—You may withdraw or feel numb or blah, which is actually a protective device.

—You may experience nightmares of being powerless or stumbling through a destroyed landscape.

—You may get headaches.

—You may cry more easily.


more at link

[FACE-IT]

I am becoming overly stressed (and fatigued) just by posting about these disasters. This may be part of a new syndrome that is beginning to develop. We may need to originate a new acronym describing this.

[Shadow205]

I think that the whole country is going to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder before this hurricane season is over.

[Beyond Belief]

Personally I think the American people are just getting warmed up!

Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.............

[FACE-IT]

Originally Posted by tybee204

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170196,00.html

As Hurricane Rita bears down on Texas, the horrific images and stories from Hurricane Katrina are still fresh in our minds: desperate people unable to evacuate, pets left for dead, families split up and dispersed all over the country, jobs gone, homes destroyed. And it didn’t help that initial relief efforts were disorganized and slow.

It’s little wonder that many Americans well outside the hurricane zones are experiencing signs of depression and what some experts call “compassion fatigue.” And it may not be over yet.


Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Some people report sleeping poorly in the month since Katrina. Or awakening with the nagging feeling that something bad happened and taking a second to identify what it was.

Smallwood identifies some other reactions:

—You may feel odd or different all day.

—You may withdraw or feel numb or blah, which is actually a protective device.

—You may experience nightmares of being powerless or stumbling through a destroyed landscape.

—You may get headaches.

—You may cry more easily.


more at link

I saw a shrink on Tv speaking about this, and he said: "limit your TV watching about this disaster" and "don't spend your time on internet forums constantly posting about this."

[Details]

That's the key - don't spend too much time watching it if it is affecting you too much. And remember that it's not that disasters are happening more frequently, but that news and internet now let you see more of them and more about them.

[Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Buzzm1

I saw a shrink on Tv speaking about this, and he said: "limit your TV watching about this disaster" and "don't spend your time on internet forums constantly posting about this."

Exactly. I deliberately limited how much of the Katrina coverage I watched/read about for that very reason.

[deanws]

Originally Posted by Details

That's the key - don't spend too much time watching it if it is affecting you too much. And remember that it's not that disasters are happening more frequently, but that news and internet now let you see more of them and more about them.

I know what you mean..however I bet the residents of Flordia would disagree with you. Last year was just unfreaking believable.

[T'sNana]

I do tend to watch a lot of the news about this and other stuff so I could cut back on that but I think the internet (at least WS's forum) is great because you can vent and post about it....you're not just getting info...you are sharing it. JMO