Tragedies, deaths, serious injuries, hostage situations, threatening situations - these events are known as "Critical Incidents." People who respond to emergencies encounter highly stressful events almost every day. Sometimes an event is so traumatic or overwhelming that emergency responders may experience significant stress reactions.
The Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) process is specifically designed to prevent or mitigate the development of post-traumatic stress among emergency services professionals.
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) represents an integrated "system" of interventions which is designed to prevent and/or mitigate the adverse psychological reactions that so often accompany emergency services, public safety, and disaster response functions. CISM interventions are especially directed towards the mitigation of post-traumatic stress reactions.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS| Physical* | Cognitive | Emotional | Behavioral |
| chills | confusion | fear | withdrawal |
| thirst | nightmares | guilt | antisocial acts |
| fatigue | uncertainty | grief | inability to rest |
| nausea | hypervigilance | panic | intensified pacing |
| fainting | suspiciousness | denial | erratic movements |
| twitches | intrusive images | anxiety | change in social activity |
| vomiting | blaming someone | agitation | change in speech patterns |
| dizziness | poor problem solving | irritability | loss of or increase in appetite |
| weakness | poor abstract thinking | depression | hyperalert to environment |
| chest pain | poor attention/ decisions | intense anger | increased alcohol consumption |
| headaches | poor concentration/memory disorientation of time, place or person | apprehension | change in usual communications |
| elevated BP | difficulty identifying objects or people heightened or lowered alertness | emotional shock | etc... |
| rapid heart rate | increased or decreased awareness of surroundings | emotional outbursts | |
| muscle tremors | etc... | feeling overwhelmed | |
| grinding of teeth | loss of emotional control | ||
| shock symptoms | inappropriate emotional response | ||
| visual difficulties | etc... | ||
| profuse sweating | |||
| difficulty breathing | |||
| etc... |
* Any of these symptoms may indicate the need for medical evaluation. When in doubt, contact a physician.