Critical Incident Stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Critical incident stress is an emotional reaction which comes after an experience of an event that is so intense it has the capability of evoking such reactions. The events are usually critical and unexpected which include earthquakes, floods, abductions, assaults, fire outbreaks among others. Since people deal with critical incidences differently, some of them may experience stress which may come immediately or after the incident. Critical incident stress does not only affect the people who are directly involved as the emergency service personnel are also affected just like other human beings. Signs and symptoms of critical incident stress will vary from one person to the other but may include nightmares, insomnia, hostility, anxiety, restlessness, memory loss, flashbacks, loss of feeling and startled reactions among others.

Post traumatic stress disorder is a condition that affects people after experiencing a harsh or traumatic event. According to Friedman, human beings are well equipped to respond to stress but sometimes stressors become extreme such that people cannot cope. These become traumatic and victims may end up suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.  This is because they have not been able to recover from their trauma so they can go on with their lives normally. Signs of this condition are more or less the same as those of critical incident stress and include numbness, sleeping problems, feelings of detachment, frightening thoughts, guilt, depression, memory problems and feeling tense among others. Post traumatic stress disorder affects all people regardless of age who have gone through ordeals such as sexual assaults and accidents among others. Sometimes it is possible to suffer from this condition just from witnessing someone else who may be close to you experiencing trauma.

Manifestation of Signs

Physical signs of critical incident stress and post traumatic stress disorder include trembling, diarrhea, headaches, fatigue, rapid heartbeats, loss of appetite, menstrual dysfunction, sweating and pain in areas such as neck, back and chest. Emotionally, signs may come in form of feelings of great sadness, anxiety, guilt, emotional outbursts, shock, agitation and depression while psychologically, the person may be in confusion,  losing memory or concentration power, poor problem solving, reduced alertness and avoiding people or things related to the incident which is a behavioral symptom. Detection is best done by a qualified doctor especially because the symptoms are more or less the same and there may be other illnesses not discovered. Usually, a doctor may want to see at least two of the signs from each category to make a decision.

Importance of Learning CIS & PTSD as Emergency Communicator

People, more so emergency professionals would benefit from learning CIS and PTSD as a way of providing timely services to those affected as an emergency. It is also important as they can implement effective management programs for dealing with the victims. This is also important for the whole community at large since as Davis puts it, the individuals and communities may be caught off guard in which case they would not have the resources to save themselves from the impact. Getting ready for critical conditions will be the only way to save victims from being stressed. This is because recovering from stress and disorder takes time which may even go for several years. This prompts health officials to learn about this conditions and how to contain them as emergency response.

Critical incidents are usually of emergency and professionals have to be ready to offer a helping hand through counseling. This has been known to help a lot of people in critical incidents and many of them tend to cope better with counseling services. Emergency responses are important in critical conditions as they help prevent individuals from developing post trauma stress disorder. This is where debriefing comes in as a way of minimizing reactions so people can be more coping. Learning critical incident stress will also teach participants of the importance of debriefing which should be done hours or few days after the incident. The debriefing usually involves a lot of things which need to be learned.

Debriefing and Its Importance

During critical incidents, it becomes necessary for victims as well as professionals to be told how relief services will be provided and received. This is done through debriefing and hence this is simply a way of providing organized emergency care services especially under stressful conditions so as to reduce effects. Bowes, Fikowski and O’Neil say trained mental health professionals conduct critical incident stress debriefing and they can either be in groups or individual basis. Debriefing involves the victims going through a communication process in which they narrate their experiences either to the personnel or between each other and the importance of this is that it helps them to relax and get rid of anger, anxiety and other feelings they may be holding inside.

Debriefing is usually done several hours after the incident and apart from helping to reduce short term effects it also comes in handy in preventing long term symptoms. Generally, debriefing provides people a chance to know how best they can handle the present situation affecting them. It also gives the emergency personnel a chance to make the people understand what they are going through.

Importance of Learning About CIS &PTSD

Learning about critical incident stress and post traumatic stress disorder helps people understand the conditions better and will therefore be in a position to help those who are affected. It also helps them cope well if they find themselves victims of a critical incident. These conditions affect the physical, psychological and emotional state of an individual and hence the need to understand what they are all about. People can also know the signs and symptoms so they can easily identify them when they or someone close is suffering. Sometimes, these conditions may be a manifestation of other underlying illness such as heart problems hence people can learn about this too.

Learning about these conditions is also a better way of knowing how to differentiate them with the normal stress that may affect people during their daily lives. This is because these two stress conditions arise from experiencing traumatic incidences and may not therefore be like normal stress. People will also know which are the critical incidences or traumatic events that put them more at risk of suffering from them. This will make them more appreciative of the critical incident stress debriefing services if they were to get them since they would already have known about the perceived benefits. Learners can also provide good peer support if they have the right information about critical incident stress and post traumatic stress disorder. Such programs are suitable in a variety of settings such as schools, hospitals and workplaces. It is therefore important that the people know of the availability of such programs and the kind of services they may get there.

Controversial Issues Surrounding CIS & PTSD

The use of critical incident stress debriefing to reduce the trauma experienced by the victims is controversial since its effectiveness has not yet been proven. Bowes, Fikowski and O’Neil are concerned of the limited scientific evidence in support of critical incident stress debriefing. This means that many of the ideas around debriefing are based in perceived benefits although Everly and Boyle suggest that debriefing may be effective in crisis prevention. However, more research on the area will help to remove all concerns and people can be contented using the strategy. When it comes to post traumatic stress disorder, Summerfield says that it has received criticism because it is claimed that it is based on sociopolitical rather than psychiatric ideas.

Conclusion

It should be noted that not all people who experience trauma may suffer from critical incident stress or post traumatic stress disorders. This is because some people are relatively well adapted to stressful conditions and may therefore be low at risk. However, some people may behave normally during and immediately after the incident but may suffer from stress years later. Some of the things that may make some people resilient include being in similar situations more than once and having an own effective way of dealing with stressful situations. Critical incident stress and post traumatic stress disorder are serious conditions but with proper management people can be helped to regain normal lives.

Works cited

Bowes, Katelin., Fikowski, Jill., & O’Neill, Melanie. “Critical incident stress debriefing: concepts and controversy.” Visions: BC’s Mental Health and Addictions Journal, Vol. 3, No. 3, pg. 7. 2007.

Davis, J. A. “Providing critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) to individuals and communities in situational crisis.” The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 1998.

Everly, G.S., Jr. & Boyle, S.H. “Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD): A meta-analysis.” International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 1(3): 165-168. 1999.

Friedman, M. A. “Post-Traumatic stress disorder.” 2000. Retrieved from <http://www.acnp.org/G4/GN401000111/CH109.html>

Summerfield, D. “The invention of post-traumatic stress disorder and the social usefulness of a psychiatric category”. BMJ 2001; 322: 95-98.