Identifying and Preventing Compassion Fatigue

Identifying and Preventing Compassion Fatigue

This may be a term that you've heard of before, or perhaps you might be reading about it for the first time. It's no surprise given the day-to-day role of vets, dealing with poorly animals, stressed clients, moral and ethical dilemmas and the difficulties of not taking your work home with you, that compassion fatigue can start to sneak in. It occurs when you just feel like you have no more empathy left to give.

While compassion fatigue may be similar to burnout, burnout often comes from the pressures of work, high workload or other outside pressures such as the pandemic or cost-of-living crisis. Compassion fatigue on the other hand stems from helping others. Research has shown that veterinary professionals have a high level of risk for compassion fatigue¹.

"Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped, to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper."

Dr. Charles Figley - Psychologist and University Professor

What are the signs of compassion fatigue?

1. Isolation - You may not be able to connect with people at work or outside of work. Despite being surrounded by people you may feel isolated and alone.
2. Apathy - You may start to develop a lack of interest or energy about the situation. Where you may have previously been enthusiastic about cases and dealing with clients, you may find you have become disengaged. You may even lose interest in your personal hobbies or relationships.
3. Exhaustion/Physical Symptoms - This may be physical, psychological and emotional exhaustion, energy levels are low. You may feel irritable, angry, sad or numb. You may lose your appetite or have difficulty sleeping.
4. Rumination - You may find yourself constantly thinking about the suffering of others and feeling anger towards the events or people that have caused that suffering. You may start to blame yourself for not doing enough to prevent the suffering, but at the same time feeling hopeless to be able to make a difference.

What can you do to prevent compassion fatigue?

The first step is to start to put yourself first. You can't have empathy for others if you can't show empathy for yourself. Self-care is not selfish, and if you don't start to put yourself first, compassion fatigue can start to spiral and affect your mental health.

1. Be kind to yourself. Try and find that work-life balance - this can be easier said than done, but time away from work can give you the breathing space to get back to yourself again.
2. Make sure you are looking after yourself, eating well. getting enough sleep, regular exercise and seeing people socially outside of work.
3. Start to pay attention to the type of cases or events that cause you stress, e.g. Euthanasia is one of the situations that many vets can find difficult to deal with. Some practices have started to put systems in place to minimise euthanasia stress, including quiet/safe places in the practice where staff can unwind and debriefing sessions for staff, especially if it has been a difficult euthanasia.
4. Understand that you cannot always control pain and suffering for others. Instead, focus on what you can control, including your thoughts and approach.
5. Seek professional help if you need it.

Remember, you are not alone, and don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help.

Where to get support

Vetlife

Vetlife offers emotional support to everyone in the veterinary community. The Vetlife helpline is available on +44 (0) 303 040 2551, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Vet Support

A free and confidential peer support service.

¹Figley, Charles. (2006). Compassion Fatigue in the Animal-Care Community.