What is compassion trauma or fatigue?

Over the weekend I watched a Netflix movie called ‘Dark Waters’, based on a true story about an unassuming corporate lawyer who ends up fighting for ‘the little people’ in a class action against a behemoth American chemical company, Du Pont. It took over 15 years to bring Du Pont to the table to eventually settle over 3,500 claims for debilitating and life threating injuries.

The underlying point of this tale is that it also took a toll on the lawyers’ family life and his own physical and mental health. This is only touched on in the movie when he is eventually hospitalised for a period of time and there is a scene where he sits at the kitchen table and is completely unresponsive to his wife. It would appear he no longer feels or cares for anything going on around him.

As lawyers we are caring, hard working and dedicated to seeking just outcomes for our clients. This is particularly so in personal injury law where we are often exposed to the severe human frailties and traumas of our clients. We often forget to take care of our own health.

Compassion trauma or compassion fatigue is caused by empathy. Sometimes it is called empathy fatigue. It is the feeling of stress that you take on mentally and physically through caring and helping people that are suffering or traumatised. After a while you start to feel indifferent and emotionally numb as a result of the compounding effect of so many of these interactions with people suffering from trauma. Some symptoms of compassion fatigue are disrupted sleep, anxiety, headaches, numbness, emotional disconnection, decreased sense of purpose and difficulties with personal relationships.

As lawyers we are stoic and often do not like to admit that we are struggling with the work we do.

As an abuse lawyer I have experienced compassion trauma or fatigue. I certainly recognised the symptoms at the time. I felt emotionally numb and non-responsive to things in my personal and family life that I should care about. I did not want to take a simple walk in my neighbourhood because I did not want to let my clients down. I struggled with sleep and felt emotionally disconnected in my relationships.

Fortunately, I was able to recognise the symptoms and overcome them.

How do we help manage compassion fatigue? The first thing is to recognise it. Taking decisive action to look after your personal health and relationships can be difficult but it is key to managing compassion fatigue. It is also essential to have a supportive working team environment. Compassion fatigue is not something that someone should go through alone. It is something that your team should be aware of and something that we all can work on together in managing the risk of it occurring. A great supportive team at work listens to eachother and communicates concerns in an empathic and respectful way. Another simple measure might be to take more physical breaks or exercise or take a planned break or holiday, to focus on something positive to look forward to.

At Chamberlains law firm we care about the work we do for our clients. Sometimes to our own detriment. We have to remember that we are human and have our frailties too. It is not weakness but strength to recognise when you need help and there is no shame in seeking this out. Contact our injury & compensation team today.