First responders

first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide
assistance at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack. First
responders typically include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, firefighters,
rescuers, and other trained members of organisations connected with this type of work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_responder

Vicarious Trauma

Vicarious trauma is also known as compassion fatigue, it describes the phenomenon generally
associated with the “cost of caring” for others. Some others terms are : secondary traumatic stress
,secondary victimization.

Vicarious trauma, also known as secondary trauma, can be described as indirect exposure to a traumatic
event through first-hand account or narrative of that event. People in the helping professions—
counselors and therapists, rescue workers, police officers, doctors, and lawyers—may be at risk of
vicarious traumatization. Any person who has a significant relationship with a survivor of trauma may
also come to experience secondary traumatization.

UNDERSTANDING VICARIOUS TRAUMA

Therapists and other helpers often hear stories of traumatic experiences in the course of their work. At
times, hearing these stories may overwhelm them and lead them to experience, to a lesser extent, the
same feelings faced by the trauma survivors in their care. Vicarious trauma typically involves a shift in
the world view of the helper. The helper’s beliefs about the world may be altered and/or damaged by
repeated exposure to traumatic material,

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/vicarious-trauma

Signs and Symptoms

Physical Warning Signs

Exhaustion

Insomnia

Headaches

Increased susceptibility to illness

Sore back and neck

Irritable bowel, GI distress

Rashes, breakouts

Grinding your teeth at night

Heart palpitations

Hypochondria

Behavioural Signs

Increased use of alcohol and drugs

Anger and Irritability at home and/or at work

Avoidance of clients/patients

Watching excessive amounts of TV/Netflix at night

Consuming high trauma media as entertainment

Not returning phone calls at work and/or at home

Avoiding colleagues and staff gatherings

Avoiding social events

Impaired ability to make decisions

Feeling helpless when hearing a difficult client story

Impostor syndrome – feeling unskilled in your job

Problems in personal relationships

Difficulty with sex and intimacy due to trauma exposure at work

Thinking about quitting your job (not always a bad idea by the way!)

Compromised care for clients/patients

Engaging in frequent negative gossip/venting at work

Impaired appetite or binge eating

Emotional/Psychological Signs

Emotional exhaustion

Negative self-image

Depression

Increased anxiety

Difficulty sleeping
Impaired appetite or binge eating

Feelings of hopelessness

Guilt

Reduced ability to feel sympathy and empathy towards clients or family/friends

Cynicism at work

Anger at work

Resentment of demands being put on you at work and/or at home

Dread of working with certain clients/patients/certain case files

Diminished sense of enjoyment/career(i.e., low compassion satisfaction)

Depersonalization – spacing out during work or the drive home

Disruption of world view/heightened anxiety or irrational fears

https://www.tendacademy.ca/warning-signs-of-vicarious-traumasecondary-traumatic-stress-and-
compassion-fatigue/

PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)

What is PTSD ?

(PTSD) is a mental health condition caused by witnessing or experiencing actual or threatened death,
serious injury or violence. Being affected by these types of events is normal, however if the thoughts or
memories of these events start to seriously affect the life of the person long after the event, that person
could be experiencing PTSD.

http://www.firstrespondersfirst.ca

Signs and Symptoms

Signs that someone may be experiencing PTSD include nightmares, uncontrollable memories, persistent
fear and severe anxiety.

Intrusive memories

Flashbacks

Re-occurring nightmares

Intense distress or irritability

Physical reactions such as rapid breathing, sweating, or nausea, when remembering or being reminded
of the trauma

Avoidance

Feeling emotionally detached from others

Emotional numbness

Experiencing hopelessness about the future

Inability to remember important aspects of the traumatic event

Arousal or anxiety symptoms

Bouts of moodiness or anger

Insomnia or difficulty staying asleep

A sense of being "on alert" or "on guard" – Hypervigilance

Developing a destructive addiction

Suicidal thoughts

https://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/how-to-recognize-ptsd-in-spouse.html

What Causes PTSD?

PTSD is often associated with soldiers and others on the front lines of war. But anyone — even kids —

can develop it after a traumatic event.

Traumas that might bring on PTSD include the unexpected or violent death of a family member or close

friend, and serious harm or threat of death or injury to oneself or a loved one.

Situations that can cause such trauma include:

violent attacks, like rape

fire

physical or sexual abuse

acts of violence (such as school or neighborhood shootings)

natural or manmade disasters

car crashes

military combat (sometimes called "shell shock")

witnessing another person go through these kinds of traumatic events

being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness

In some cases, PTSD can happen after repeated exposure to these events. Survivor guilt (feelings of guilt

for having survived an event in which friends or family members died) also might contribute to PTSD.

Signs of PTSD in teens are similar to those in adults. But PTSD in children can look a little different.

Younger kids can show more fearful and regressive behaviors. They may reenact the trauma through

play.

Symptoms usually begin within the first month after the trauma, but they may not show up until months

or even years have passed. These symptoms often continue for years after the trauma. In some cases,

they may ease and return later in life if another event triggers memories of the trauma. (In fact,

anniversaries of the event can often cause a flood of emotions and bad memories.)

PTSD also can come on as a sudden, short-term response (called acute stress disorder) to an event and

can last many days or up to one month.

People with PTSD may not get professional help because they think it's understandable to feel

frightened after going through a traumatic event. Sometimes, people may not recognize the link

between their symptoms and the trauma.

Teachers, doctors, school counselors, friends, and other family members who know a child or teen well

can play an important role in recognizing PTSD symptoms.

How Is PTSD Treated?

Many people recover from a traumatic event after a period of adjustment. But if your child or teen has
experienced a traumatic event and has symptoms of PTSD for more than a month, get help from an
expert.

Therapy can help address symptoms of avoidance, intrusive and negative thoughts, and a depressed or
negative mood. A therapist will work with your family to help you and your child or teen adjust to what
happened and get back to living life.

Mental health professionals who can help include:

psychologists

psychiatrists

licensed clinical social workers

licensed professional counselors

licensed trauma professionals

bereavement specialists

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is very effective for people who develop PTSD. This type of therapy
teaches ways to replace negative, unhelpful thoughts and feelings with more positive thinking.
Behavioral strategies can be used at a child's own pace to help desensitize the child to the traumatic
parts of what happened so he or she doesn't feel so afraid of them.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) combines cognitive therapy with
directed eye movements. This has been shown to be effective in treating people of all ages with PTSD.

Play therapy is used to treat young children with PTSD who can't directly deal with the trauma.

In some cases, medicine can help treat serious symptoms of depression and anxiety. This can help those
with PTSD cope with school and other daily activities while being treated. Medicine often is used only
until someone feels better, then therapy can help get the person back on track.

Finally, group therapy or support groups are helpful because they let kids and teens know that they're
not alone. Groups also provide a safe place to share feelings. Ask your child's therapist for referrals or
suggestions.

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/ptsd.html

articles suicide

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/06/01/death-by-suicide-of-paramedic-who-rushed-to-
quebec-city-mosque-attack-shines-light-on-trauma-risks-for-first-responders.html

https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/first-responders-trauma-intervention-suicide-prevention/