Caregiver stress disorder – what it is, causes, symptoms. How to cope?

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Caring for a sick and infirm person for a long time is associated with considerable physical and mental exhaustion. Doctors refer to it as the caregiver’s stress disorder. What are its causes and symptoms? How to deal with it?

What is caregiver stress disorder?

Caregiver stress syndrome, or CSS, is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion. It occurs in people who provide long-term care for a person unable to function independently. It is primarily about bedridden or elderly people with low physical fitness.

The caregiver’s stress disorder results from total dedication to the sick person and giving up his own life. Overwhelming care responsibilities often preclude the possibility of taking care of one’s own affairs – work or social, which often leads to frustration and then even to depression.

Caregiver stress disorder – causes

The source of the caregiver’s stress syndrome is round-the-clock care of the patient and undertaking extremely difficult activities. The caregiver must support, move or move the sick person on the bed, cook and feed him, as well as help in bathing or dealing with physiological needs. It is an endless cycle that repeats itself over the years. Monotonous days, hard physical work and a lack of time for myself result in a number of ailments that make up the caregiver’s stress disorder.

It is also worth noting that the person caring for the patient is under pressure from the environment – doctors, physiotherapists, friends and family. Any neglect is seen as a symptom of selfishness or negative feelings towards the patient. Few are aware that the cause may be caregiver’s stress disorder. In addition, the person in need of care can create many difficulties. In the absence of cooperation, even the simplest activities become difficult and take a long time. This greatly affects the well-being of the caregiver.

In addition, the financial situation may contribute to the causes of the caregiver’s stress disorder. Low benefits, lack of funds for the rehabilitation of a senior, huge expenses related to medicinal products, and even the lack of funds for the temporary employment of an external caregiver – all this can depress a person caring for a sick loved one.

Caregiver stress disorder symptoms

In the first stage of the caregiver’s stress disorder, there are:

1. fear of a new situation resulting from the lack of knowledge about the disease,
2. a sense of loneliness in care,
3. helplessness and hopelessness,
4. apathy.

After a while, more symptoms of the caregiver’s stress disorder develop. These are:

1. nervousness,
2. irritation,
3. outbursts of anger
4. frustration,
5. depressive states.

Unrelieved mental symptoms and exposure to constant stress lead to physical ailments such as:

1. nagging fatigue,
2. headache, backache and neck pain,
3. insomnia,
4. problems with concentration,
5. stomach ulcers,
6. diabetes,
7. hypertension and heart disease.

In extreme cases, people with the caregiver’s stress syndrome use stimulants, e.g. cigarettes or alcohol.

How to deal with the caregiver’s stress disorder?

One of the surest methods is contact with the outside world. In the best cases, it is worth taking care of yourself, going out with friends. However, if it is impossible to leave home and leave the sick person under the care of another person, it is worth inviting family members or friends to your home and talking for a while. The negative emotions associated with the caregiver’s stress syndrome are best discarded during physical exertion – running or exercising on an elliptical cross trainer.