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.