STRESS IN CAPF PERSONNEL

AND ITS REMEDIES

BY DR.HEMANT KATARIA
DC/Spl. MO PSYCHIATRIST
COMPOSITE HOSPITAL,JAMMU
 What is Stress?

• Stress can be defined as our

mental, physical, emotional,
and behavioral reactions to
any perceived demands or
threats.
• S=P>R
• Stress occurs when the
pressure is greater than the
resource
 Symptoms of Stress

 Physical Signs

 Emotional Signs

 Behavioral Signs

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 FOUR TYPES OF
STRESS
 1. GENERAL STRESS:
 -Everyone has this kind of
 stress.
 - It resolves itself within a
 day or two.
 -No intervention is necessa
 rily required.
FOUR TYPES OF
STRESS
 2. CUMULATIVE STRESS:
 -Stress builds up in the body
 -It becomes more difficult to
 alleviate your symptoms.
 -may have more serious
 physical symptoms.
Illustration by ®Mary Ann Zapalac

 -may have more serious mental

 anguish.
 FOUR TYPES OF
STRESS
 3. ACUTE TRAUMATIC STRESS:
-Critical Incident Stress
-Produce considerable
psychological stress.
- A Normal Reaction to
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Abnormal events.
FOUR TYPES OF
STRESS
 4. POST TRAUMATIC STRESS:
 -Severe stress produced by
 severe psychological stress
 -Created by unresolved critical
 incident stress.
 -Produces lasting changes.
NOT ALL STRESS IS BAD…
 Distress is a continuous experience of feeling overwhelmed,
oppressed, and behind in our responsibilities. It is the all
encompassing sense of being imposed upon by difficulties with
no light at the end of the tunnel.
 Examples of distress include financial difficulties, conflicts in relationships,
excessive obligations, managing a chronic illness, or experiencing a trauma.

 Eustress is the other form of stress that is positive and

beneficial. We may feel challenged, but the sources of the
stress are opportunities that are meaningful to us. Eustress
helps provide us with energy and motivation to meet our
responsibilities and achieve our goals.
 Examples of eustress include graduating from college, getting married, receiving
a promotion, or changing jobs.
Stress Response: Example
 A good example of a stressful situation for many
people is taking a test. If you find testing to be
stressful, you might notice certain physical, behavioral,
mental, and emotional responses.
 Physical Response?
 Behavioral Response?

 Mental Response?

 Emotional Response?
 SHORT TERM PHYSICAL
STRESS SYMPTOMS
 -Dry mouth
 -cool skin
 -increased sweating
 -faster heart rate
 -tense muscles
 -feelings of nausea
 -rapid breathing
 -diarrhoea
 LONG TERM PHYSICAL
STRESS SYMPTOMS
 -Insomnia
 -Change in appetite
 -Aches and pains
 -Frequent Colds
 -Feelings of intense and long time
 tiredness
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 -prone to illness
 BEHAVIOURAL STRESS SYMPTOMS

 Yawning Over reacting

 Talking too fast Emotional
 Talking too loud Defensive
 Fiddling Irritable
 Twitching Irrational
 Nail biting Hostile
 Grinding teeth Critical
 Drumming Fingers Aggressive
 BEHAVIOURAL STRESS SYMPTOMS

 These symptoms will have negative effect on your

performance.
 By reducing your effectiveness.
 Making you accident prone.
 Causing you to be very negative.
 You may neglect your appearance.
 You may make poor judgements.
 Increasing your absenteeism.
 PERFORMANCE STRESS SYMPTOMS

 You may not make good decisions.

 Your fine motor skills are affected.
 You may no longer enjoy your work.
 Your attention span may affected.
 You may have more negative thoughts.
 Your self confidence will suffer.
 You may have difficulty concentrating.
 All of your positive energy is consumed.
 Responding to Stress Emotionally
 Emotional Responses
 Annoyance, anger, rage
 Apprehension, anxiety, fear

 Dejection, sadness, grief

 Positive emotions

 Emotional response and performance

 The inverted-U-hypothesis
How can stress be good for us?

Yerkes Dodson Law Too much stimulation

(overload – high stress)
High

Moderate Stimulation
Performance

(just right - balanced)

Too little stimulation

(boredom – low stress)

Low

Low Stress Level High

Responding to Stress Physiologically

 Physiological Responses
 Fight-or-flight
response
 Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
 Alarm
 Resistance
 Exhaustion
 Responding to Stress Behaviorally
 Behavioral Responses
 Frustration-aggression hypothesis
 catharsis
 defense mechanisms
 Coping
 Reappraisal
 Confronting problems
 Using humor
 Expressing emotions
 Managing hostility
 Effects of Stress: Physical
• Psychosomatic diseases
• Heart disease
– Type A behavior - 3 elements
• strong competitiveness
• impatience and time urgency
• anger and hostility
– Emotional reactions and depression
• Stress and immune functioning
– Reduced immune activity
CAPF Personnel Specific Stressors
 Marital Discord
 Financial Issues
 Sleep disturbances/Shift work
 Boredom
 Coworker conflict
 Oppressive Workload
 Long Separation From Family
 Continuous “Hard” Posting and denial of leave
CAPF Personnel Stress Reactions
 Apprehension/Dread
 Intrusive thoughts
 No hope
 Sleep difficulties
 Gastrointestinal symptoms
 Throat and mouth symptoms
 Irritability and frustration
 Alcohol or other substance abuse.
Implications for Remedy
 Identify high-risk CAPF PERSONNELS
 No penalty or stigmatization
 Potential interventions
 Psychoeducation
 Work redesign
 Coping skills training
 Relaxation training
 Conflict-resolution training
 Leadership training
 Sleep hygiene education
 TO IDENTIFY STRESS/DEPRESSION
 NOT TO UNDERMINE THREATS OR EXPRESSED
SUICIDE/DEATH WISHES.
 CHANGE IN BEHAVIOUR.
 NOT GOING ON LEAVE AS BEFORE.
 UNKEMPT APPEARANCE.
 HAPPINESS WITHOUT CAUSE.
 MISSING LEISURE/SPORTING ACTIVITIES.
 ALCOHOL ABUSE.
 DISTURBANCE OF SLEEP/APPETITE.
 VAGUE PHYSICAL COMPLAINTS.
At-Risk CAPF Personnels
 RESEARCH BASED STUDY reveals 2 distinct profiles
for at-risk CAPF Personnels
 Profile 1 (somaticizers) Reported greater frequency and
intensity of physical symptoms
 Head/neck/facial tension
 Gastrointestinal distress
 Cardiopulmonary complaints
 Profile 2 (psychological stress) Reported higher levels of
 Apprehension/dread
 Anger
 Generalized anxiety
 Agitated depression
 STRESS CONTROL

 A B C STRATEGY


ABC STRATEGY

A = AWARENESS

What causes you stress?

How do you react?
 ABC STRATEGY

B = BALANCE

There is a fine line between positive / negative

stress

How much can you cope with before it becomes

negative ?
 ABC STRATEGY

C = CONTROL

What can you do to help yourself combat the

negative effects of stress ?
CENTRE ISSUES GUIDELINES TO SIX
FORCES
TO CARRY OUT REGULAR
PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION

TO CARRY OUT COUNSELLING

OF ALL PERSONNELS

TO IMPROVE GRIEVANCE
REDRESS MECHANISM
 REMEDIES FOR STRESS
 TO ORGANISE 15 DAY MENTAL HEALTH ORIENTATION
COURSES BY PSYCHIATRISTS FOR FIELD/OPERATIONAL
UNITS TO IMPART AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS.
 UNIFORM TRANSPARENT POLICY FOR POSTINGS OF
INDIVIDUALS , TRADESMEN AND EVEN UNITS.
 PROMPT ORDER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL POST MORTEM
TO BE CONDUCTED BY PSYCHIATRIST.
 EMPHASIS ON SYMPTOM IDENTIFICATION, OFFICER MEN
INTERACTION, ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS.
 TO APPOINT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS IN ALL
COMPOSITE HOSPITALS.
 REMEDIES FOR STRESS
 GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM TO BE MAINTAINED
PROPERLY.
 TO ANALYSE PROBLEMS FROM UNDER COMMAND
FORMATIONS.
 REGULAR CULTURAL AND SPORTING ACTIVITIES, PT,
SAINIK SAMMELAN, YOGA ETC.
 TIMELY TREATMENT AND REFERRAL FOR MEDICAL AND
PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS.
Tools for Stress Management
 Physical:
 Nutrition

 Exercise

 Sleep

 Biofeedback

 Massage

 Progressive Relaxation
Tools for Stress Management

 Cognitive (thoughts):
 Self-talk

 Meditation

 Imagery

 Refocusing Strategies
 Systematic Relaxation
Tools for Stress Management

 Behavioral:
 Assertiveness

 Time-management

 Support Groups
 Segmentation

 The Breath
 QUESTIONS

 THANK YOU