First Responders United
where first responders come first
What is critical incident stress?
Most First Responders are exposed to more traumatic incidents in a month than the average citizen does in a whole lifetime. Critical incident stress is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation, by a group or an individual. Some of the symptoms of critical incident stress are:
- Elevated blood pressure
- Depression
- Over/under eating
- Withdrawal
- Nightmares
- Flashbacks
- Irritability
- Lack of concentration
- Increased alcohol consumption
These symptoms are natural responses to traumatic events, as long as they do not continue for an extended period of time (i.e., several months) or cause your life to become unmanageable (relationship problems, work-related problems, addictive behaviour, domestic violence, or other forms of serious life problems).
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