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Signs & Symptoms of Critical Incident Stress

According to Critical Incident Stress Management International, a "critical incident" occurs when you survive something so intense that you have no reference for it in your life. Critical incidents evoke strong negative emotions, such as fear or horror. Most make you fear for your life or the life of a loved one. After experiencing a critical incident, you may exhibit several signs and symptoms that disrupt your life and make it harder for you to get back to your regular routine.

  1. Significance

    • Concrete statistics are hard to come by, but Critical Incident Stress Management International estimates that up to 45 percent of people who have survived a critical incident show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression.

    Types

    • After a critical incident, symptoms may appear in several areas of your life. Physically, you may battle exhaustion, stomach problems, chest pain and dizziness. Mentally, you may not be as sharp as usual--you may find your mind wandering or realize that you are having trouble solving complex problems. Emotionally, you may be dealing with a lot of intense feelings, such as fear, anger, anxiety and sadness. Finally, you may notice behavioral symptoms, such as withdrawing from friends and family, feeling unable to sleep or eat, or abusing drugs and alcohol.

    Time Frame

    • Some people experience symptoms immediately after a critical incident has occurred. Others may not experience symptoms until hours, days, weeks, months or even years after the incident. The further out you are from the incident when you begin to experience symptoms, the more likely you are to feel "crazy" and out of control. But even if the incident happened several years ago, if it is causing you emotional distress, it is still important for you to get help.

    Considerations

    • Critical-incident stress debriefing is a form of brief counseling that occurs within hours after a critical incident. Using techniques called debriefing (talking about what happened in a rational way) and defusing (ventilating feelings), participants are encouraged to communicate with each other rather than isolate themselves. Critical-incident stress debriefing that takes place 24 to 72 hours after a tragedy can significantly reduce the number of short and long-term symptoms participants experience.

    Misconceptions

    • Suffering from the signs and symptoms of critical incident stress does not mean you are weak, cowardly or incompetent. It just means you're a caring person who is having trouble putting the bad thing(s) you see out of your mind. Talk to your family about what you're experiencing, and if your symptoms don't go away, seek professional help. When you start to speak out about what you're feeling, you may be surprised to learn that many people around you feel the same way.

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