{"id":4702,"date":"2021-11-29T20:00:21","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T20:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/?p=4702"},"modified":"2024-09-06T15:43:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T15:43:16","slug":"were-only-human-facing-ptsd-in-nursing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wellness\/were-only-human-facing-ptsd-in-nursing\/","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019re Only Human: Facing PTSD in Nursing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As nurses, we\u2019re likely to experience some form of trauma on the job. It\u2019s a high-stress career. Nurses in any setting may experience traumatic events. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ve also seen post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the rise within the medical field since the beginning of the pandemic<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Those working in COVID units, emergency departments, ICU settings, mental health services, and trauma or burn units are especially susceptible to experiencing traumatic events. These fields of nursing often learn of some of the darkest human behaviors and see things that can\u2019t be unseen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re on the job, your mind is almost always on high alert. We anticipate emergencies even on the slowest days. Over time, traumatic events and stress can wear on us mentally and physically. It\u2019s vital that we do not remain silent when something bothers us. We have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others. After all, we\u2019re only human.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What Is PTSD?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8206\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/Compassion-Fatigue2-iStock-Resized-scaled-e1725636874586.jpg\" alt=\"Compassion fatigue in nursing\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-traumatic stress disorder wasn\u2019t nationally recognized or named until the 1970s. Research ramped up in the 1960s-1970s as many Vietnam War Veterans returned to the United States. People noted their family members and friends displayed similar symptoms. Many soldiers showed signs of detachment, night terrors, flashbacks, irritability, rage, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, etc. Researchers began to look closer into the trends of soldiers returning home. (If you ever want to read more about it, I highly recommend \u201cThe Body Keeps Score\u201d by Bessel van der Kolk.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), recognizes symptoms of PTSD to include intrusion, avoidance of thoughts and\/or behaviors, negative mood and changes in thoughts, and changes in arousal and reactivity. These symptoms include things like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Repeated dreams related to the event<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bodily reactions like increased heart rate or blood pressure when reminded of the event<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoiding people, places, activities, or memories linked to the event<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-blame or blaming others<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detachment from people or activities that previously brought joy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Issues remembering important aspects of the event<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty concentrating<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impulsive or self-destructive behavior<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hyper-vigilance<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Issues sleeping<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/\" rel=\"noopener\">American Psychiatric Association<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diagnosis of PTSD begins with a noted exposure to one or more traumatic events. Traumatic events may involve death or threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, and\/or actual or threatened sexual violence. Exposure to an event may be experiencing it directly, witnessing it happen to someone else, or learning about another person\u2019s trauma.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What Symptoms Do Nurses Experiencing PTSD Display?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After learning more about PTSD, it\u2019s no surprise that many nurses experience some degree of PTSD. As I\u2019m writing this, I\u2019m recognizing several traumatic events I\u2019ve experienced during my career as a nurse. Many times, we\u2019re told to hold it together and be strong for the families, so we bottle up the emotions we\u2019re feeling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have very little time to sit with our emotions or heal between shifts. The expectation is that we come back the next shift ready to work. At times, it might feel like the event never even happened, because we are forced to move on so quickly. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the nature of the job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nurses who have experienced a traumatic event may have recurring dreams about the situation, loss of sleep, fatigue, irritability, or indifference to the job as a means of limiting their emotions. Other nurses may turn to drugs and\/or alcohol to cope with the stress. Some may feel self-blame. For instance, \u201cIf I had recognized the symptoms sooner, maybe my patient would be alive.\u201d You may find a nurse who avoids certain rooms because of a traumatic event they experienced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What Can You Do?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Talk about the situation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that&#8217;s troubling you. Talking is a huge step in facing PTSD. It&#8217;s not shameful to feel emotional, sad, anxious, depressed, angry or any emotion linked to the event. It doesn&#8217;t make you weak to feel, it only makes you human.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve found talking about my personal experiences therapeutic, especially with others who went through the same or similar events. Group therapy, or access to a therapist to work closely with the staff and patients on your unit is crucial.<\/p>\n<p>Finding a therapist who specializes in PTSD treatment is extremely helpful. Cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and brainspotting are all forms of PTSD therapy that have proved successful.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t feel like you\u2019re at the point where you want to find a licensed professional therapist, here are some ways you can aid in your own mental health progress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wellness\/implement-mindfulness-and-gratitude\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Practice mindfulness<\/span><\/a><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Whether it\u2019s a daily yoga practice, 10-minute morning meditation, keeping a gratitude journal, etc. Mindfulness practices boost our mood, relieve stress, lower blood pressure, treat chronic pain and allow us to remain more present in the current moment.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Try a Yoga Nidra class<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This is a form of \u201csleep yoga\u201d where you move into a deep state of conscious awareness sleep. Researchers claim one hour of Yoga Nidra sleep equates to about four hours of regular sleep! <\/span>In the early 2000s Walter Reed Army Medical Center studied the effects of Nidra on soldiers experiencing PTSD. This study had such notable results, that many VA facilities implemented Yoga Nidra to their treatment programs. There&#8217;s also proof that Yoga Nidra reduces anxiety more effectively than meditation. Other benefits include a boost in the immune system, lower cortisol levels and regulation of endocrine imbalances. Yoga Nidra also slows brain waves allowing the brain and body to rest and heal while reducing symptoms of chronic pain. The benefits list goes on and on, so if you\u2019ve never practiced Nidra, I highly recommend looking into it.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Engage in support groups<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Our NICU has a ton of committees, including a bereavement committee that not only focuses on our patients and families but also the staff. When a patient dies, we try to sit with all involved for a debrief right after the event. After about a week, we meet again with our unit therapist to talk through how we\u2019re feeling as caretakers and as human beings. <\/span>If your unit doesn\u2019t have a committee like this, look into forming one. You\u2019ll be surprised how many people benefit from it. If you don\u2019t have access to a therapist, work with your employer to look into their Employee Assistance Program (EAP), or find a personal therapist who specializes in PTSD psychotherapy.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Take part in pet therapy, or adopt your own pet.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Owning a pet, or spending time around another person\u2019s pet is emotionally beneficial. Pets bring out feelings of love, joy and companionship. They also help reduce stress. It\u2019s extremely rewarding to train them and watch them grow. Pets are also a great reason to get outdoors and go for a walk\/hike while enjoying nature (specifically dogs, although I do love to see a cat on a leash).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Written by Claire Lang BSN, RN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to identify and address stress triggers you may face as an RN.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":5621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,7,10],"tags":[362,123,303,235,75,90],"class_list":["post-4702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellness","category-inspiration","category-nurse-life","tag-lpn-lvn","tag-nursing","tag-permanent","tag-registered-nurses","tag-rn","tag-travel"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/10\/Stressed-nurse2-Resized-scaled-e1725636744775.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}