Pre-reading
Traumatic Incident Stress
Traumatic incidents can produce unusually strong emotional reactions that may interfere with your ability to function either at the time of the incident or sometime later.
A first aider may experience physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioural reactions including:
| Physical | Cognitive | Emotional | Behavioural |
|
Difficulty breathing * Chest pain * Fatigue Dizziness Nausea/vomiting Thirst Visual disturbances |
Confusion, poor concentration, disorientation Memory difficulties Poor problem solving Nightmares |
Anxiety Guilt, grief or denial Fear Irritability Loss of emotional control Feeling overwhelmed Blaming self or others Depression |
Anger Withdrawal Emotional outburst(s) Alteration in appetite Excessive use of drugs or alcohol Inability to rest |
| * If you experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical assistance. | |||