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Dealing with the aftershock
Events such as the Asian Tsunami, and the terrorist attacks in
London, have focused the minds of the public on the issue of
post trauma stress. But while the need for post trauma support
and counselling for those directly affected by events such as
these may be apparent, there are many more people who may also
require support.
Occupational Health or Human Resources professionals, or anyone
working in an employee support role, may very easily need to
provide help to an employee who has lost someone, or has a
friend or colleague who died or was severely injured in or
traumatised by these or any other recent traumatic incident. If
this is a situation in which you find yourself, the following
will help you with understanding post trauma stress, the common
reactions to it, and what can be done to help.
The nature of trauma Nothing can adequately prepare
organisations or individuals for the experience of a traumatic
incident, because by definition it is outside 'normal'
experience. As well as in the events described above, this was
vividly illustrated by those affected at the collapse of the
World Trade Centre, New York (2001) and the disasters of Canary
Wharf (1996), the Manchester bombing (1996), the sinking of the
Marchioness (1989), Hillsborough (1989), Kings Cross (1987) and
numerous other tragic events which were impossible to have been
predicted.
Many victims and witnesses of violence or injury sustained in
accidents, criminal activity or natural disasters such as fires
or floods, may well require professional post trauma support to
help deal with the effects of their experience. Unfortunately,
more and more people are the unwitting victims of violent crime
both at work and in the street. For example, a young girl who
has a Saturday morning job working in a supermarket and is
involved in a raid on the store, may need just as much care and
support as a young man who has a serious accident in his firm's
van as he carries out his delivery schedule.
At-risk groups Whilst all organisations should carry out risk
assessments to determine whether employees could be at potential
risk of psychiatric harm from events that they may have to deal
with in the course of their work, there are some organisations
whose staff, by virtue of what they do, are always potentially
at risk. These include: * the armed forces and emergency
services personnel * bank staff and certain others in the
financial field * those working in retail outlets, off-licences
and petrol stations, where staff may be alone in the premises
outside normal opening hours or even all night * those who have
contact with the general public in circumstances where there is
a greater risk of violence.
Companies operating in the travel industry need to be aware not
only of incidents that do occur, but also the potential for
accidents occurring - and in particular, major disasters for
which effective contingency plans should always be in place.
There are also many organisations operating within particular
industrial sectors that are inherently hazardous, and where
although good risk management can substantially reduce the
incidence of accidents, they may still occur. In such instances,
contingency plans need to be ready to be implemented, often at
short notice, to support those involved.
It is not only those people who are directly involved in an
incident - i.e. victims and survivors - who may suffer the
effects of trauma. It can also affect those who may be
indirectly involved, e.g. witnesses, neighbours, families and
work colleagues. All these people have the potential to be
traumatised to a greater or lesser degree . Although victims
will inevitably be emotionally unprepared to deal with a sudden
emergency or disaster, trained emergency workers will normally
be less vulnerable to emotional overload as a result of
extensive mental preparation and training for just such
eventualities. Nevertheless, this does not preclude them from
being affected and possibly traumatised by being involved.
The following are just some examples of how individuals can
become directly or indirectly exposed to traumatic incidents and
possible post-trauma stress: * Co-workers who may have to return
to work immediately following a disaster will have to come to
terms with the injuries and possible death of one or more
colleagues, together with possible damage to workplace buildings
caused by fire, water, etc. The workplace may have changed
dramatically and the effect of this may impact on everyone
within the organisation. * There may possibly be feelings of
guilt associated with injury and loss of life. Management and
staff may feel disorientated and emotional following the
harrowing experiences of fellow workers, and will be susceptible
to post-trauma stress. Employees may have to be relocated to
other premises and be in a position of some turmoil for days, or
possibly months, thereafter. * The designated first-aiders
within an organisation, who may have had only limited training
and experience, will most certainly be called upon to deal with
a major incident before the emergency services arrive. Yet the
support that they themselves will require in the aftermath of
the event is often overlooked. * The train driver who
experiences a person committing suicide under the wheels of his
or her train, and the maintenance team who have to remove the
human remains from the track, may be required to relive the
situation when they give evidence to an inquiry - which can
sometimes be months or even years later. This can trigger again
the traumatic reaction to the original incident, and the person
may be unable to 'close the chapter' until all investigations
are complete. * A traumatic incident may also impact on the
confidence of other employees performing similar jobs within the
organisation. * Proper consideration should also be given to
people involved in potential incidents or 'near misses'. These
may include people who believe that they came close to a major
accident or incident, even where they themselves sustained no
actual damage or physical injury.
The effects of a traumatic incident Anyone who has been involved
in a traumatic incident is likely to have some form of reaction
to it. These
reactions may happen immediately, or may not occur
for weeks, months or occasionally even years afterwards. They
are likely to be worse if: * Many people died or were injured
during the incident, or death or injury was sudden, violent or
happened in horrifying circumstances * The individual has
feelings of helplessness or wanting to have done more * They do
not have good support from family, friends or colleagues * The
stress resulting from the incident comes on top of other
stresses in their life
Emotional reactions An individual's emotions or feelings are
likely to be in chaos after the event, although alternatively
they may feel nothing. Some of the more common emotional
reactions are: Guilt - for not having done more, or for having
survived when others did not Anger at what has happened, or the
injustice or senselessness of it Fear of breaking down or losing
control, or of a similar event happening again and being unable
to cope Shame - for not having reacted as they might have wanted
to, or for feeling helpless, emotional and wanting others to be
with them Sadness - about the deaths, injuries and the whole
circumstances of the incident. Individuals may also feel
depressed without knowing why.
Mental reactions People are very likely to find that they cannot
stop thinking about the incident, dream about it, or suffer loss
of memory, concentration or motivation. They may experience
flashbacks, hate to be reminded of what happened, or have
feelings that they are always on their guard or easily startled.
Physical reactions Individuals often experience tiredness,
sleeplessness, nightmares, dizziness, palpitations, shakes,
difficulty in breathing, tightness in the throat and chest,
sickness, diarrhoea, menstrual problems, changes in sexual
interest or eating habits, and many other symptoms - frequently
without making a connection with the incident.
Other difficulties People may feel hurt, and their relationships
with others, particularly their partner, may feel under
additional strain. They may find themselves taking their anger
out on their partner or family, or emotionally withdrawing from
close relationships, just when they need them the most. (It's
important to try not to do this.)
What can be done to help Nature often heals by allowing feelings
to come out and making people want to talk about them. This is
very helpful, and should be encouraged if the opportunity
arises.
Talking to a trained counsellor is often a great relief and can
reduce much of the tension and anxiety. Trying to ignore
personal feelings, or avoid thinking or talking about the
incident in the belief that they can cope, may be unhelpful and
possibly harmful to individuals in the long term. This can lead
to a storing up of problems that will come out sooner or later -
possibly creating even greater difficulties.
When to look for professional help People who have experienced a
traumatic incident should be encouraged to seek professional
help if they: * feel they cannot handle intense feelings or body
sensations; their emotions are not falling into place; or they
feel chronic tension, emptiness or exhaustion * continue to feel
numb, empty or without feelings * have to keep active in an
attempt to suppress their feelings * continue to have nightmares
or are sleeping badly * have no-one to share their emotions with
and feel the need to do so * start to have accidents or their
work performance suffers * start to smoke, drink or take drugs
to excess * are suffering from exhaustion or depression * cannot
control their memories of the experience, and these are
affecting their personal well-being * or their relationships
seem to be suffering, or sexual problems develop
It is also important to encourage individuals to remember: *
that they are basically the same person they were before the
incident happened * that talking about their experience and
their feelings can help * that suppressing their feelings can
lead to further problems
About The Author
Carole Spiers combines three roles of broadcaster, journalist
and corporate manager in the challenging field of stress
management and employee wellbeing.
With 20 years as a top industry guru on stress management and
wellbeing, Carole's energy and dynamism extends to providing
professional comment to media including television (BBC, ITV,
Sky, NBC, CNN), print (Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, trade and
professional journals) and countless radio interviews.
A successful entrepreneur herself, Carole is the founder and MD
of the Carole Spiers Group - a dynamic, niche consultancy, and
the UK's No. 1 provider of Stress Management and Employee
Wellbeing from the shop floor to the Boardroom
A former Chairperson of the International Stress Management
AssociationUK, Carole was instrumental in establishing National
Stress Awareness Day™. Carole acts as an Expert Witness on
Stress Risk Assessment before the Courts, and is the author of
Tolley's 'Managing Stress in the Workplace'.
Free Special report
Contact us to receive our FREE Special report 'The Ten Most
Frequently Asked Questions About Stress' please email
sb@carolespiersgroup.com
For more information on CSG'S services, including in-house and
public training, stress policy, stress audit, risk assessment,
attendance management, rehabilitation support, post trauma
support, mediation, impartial investigations, expert witness,
nationwide employee counselling team, coaching and mentoring
services, please contact us:
Carole Spiers Group International Stress Management & Employee
Wellbeing Consultancy Gordon House, 83-85 Gordon Ave, Stanmore,
Middlesex. HA7 3QR. UK Tel: +44(0) 20 8954 1593 Fax: +44(0) 20
8907 9290 Email: info@carolespiersgroup.com
www.carolespiersgroup.com
About the author:
Carole Spiers combines three roles of Broadcaster, Journalist
and Corporate Manager in the challenging field of stress
management and employee wellbeing. Over the past 20 years, she
has built up her corporate stress consultancy Carole Spiers
Group (CSG) Carole is frequently called upon by the national and
international media and provides keynote presentations on
stress-related issues.
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