Creating Acute Stress

Mental health strain in the workplace is becoming increasingly prevalent and worrisome. Emergency workers and first responders are exposed to a great deal of stressful environments and they can be affected just as much as everyone else. There are many forms of emotional stress that affect ones mental health. They are discernible by their mode of formation. Some of the more common types seen in first responders are acute stress, compassion fatigue, cumulative stress, post traumatic stress disorder and vicarious trauma.
Acute stress is the normal pressures put on us in our day to day lives ("The Different Kinds of Stress", 2015). It can be mild and exciting like trying a new sport and it can be emotionally taxing like being in a dangerous or

If, however, the individual is unable to properly cope with the stresses, they should seek education on ways to prevent the acute stress from progressing to something worse. Treating acute stress can be as simple as talking to someone about it or finding a hobby to distract yourself from it (Salvis, 2015). Someone with compassion fatigue should speak with their doctor and hopefully receive psychiatric counseling to help recover and to prevent a relapse of symptoms (Mathieu, 2007). There is no definitive treatment for Cumulative stress or PTSD but there are several options that can help people better cope and return to their normal lives. Most people being treated for Cumulative stress or PTSD undergo some form of psychotherapy and may be medicated along with it (PTSD Treatments and Drugs, 2014). The most common forms of psychotherapy include: Cognitive therapy which helps the patient recognize the thought patterns that are inaccurate or negative and attempts to correct them; Exposure therapy safely brings the patient face to face with the traumatic experience to teach them how to properly cope with it; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is performed with exposure therapy and helps the patient control their reaction using a series of eye movements (PTSD Treatments and Drugs, 2014).

Because of this I came into this research essay with some previous knowledge and an idea of the signs and symptoms of the stresses. I have seen the serious effect of acute stress and PTSD in him. Luckily this allowed me know what I could be getting into as a potential paramedic student. Doing this research still brought a lot of new information to light for me. Before this I was unaware of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. I would have just thought that they were included in the scope of PTSD. Doing this research is incredibly valuable to me because I can now have a better idea of what to watch for in my step-father and in myself as I begin my placement with a paramedic crew. I know now, more than ever, the importance of talking with people for both my own mental health and theirs. If I get hired to a paramedic service, I plan to seek counseling before I feel the need to so that I can develop a relationship with a counsellor. If I have any trouble coping with the stress, the counsellor, as a professional, should be able to recognize the signs and assist me before it becomes a