Title: General - Secondary PTSD - An Overview | My PTSD Forum
Headings: General
Secondary PTSD - An Overview

General Secondary PTSD - An Overview
Similar threads
Exposure Therapy Advice/ Tips?
My new partner did not respond well AT ALL when I opened up about past sexual abuse and assault. He is a CSA survivor, so I'm confused
Trauma or just an 'unfortunate event'?
Sufferer New and hoping I'm not alone - PTSD & ED
Other Everything filtered through trauma lens, getting past it? Suggestions?

Content: It is within the domain of interacting with someone affected by trauma that the concept of secondary stress remains applicable. Since parents may both learn of a trauma to a loved one and subsequently interact with the survivor, they are subject to both direct and secondary exposure. The professional helper, on the other hand, is usually not involved with the survivor until after the trauma has occurred. Thus, the professional helper’s experience is generally confined to secondary exposure. The exception is in the case of disasters, where helpers may be on the scene either while the disaster is still in progress or while victims are still being rescued. Secondary Exposure
The literature on secondary exposure has largely focused on the development of trauma symptoms. Several terms have been advanced to describe apparent cases of PTSD that do not qualify for the official PTSD diagnosis because the exposure was secondary rather than direct. Instead, the individual has been said to have a different disorder, usually called Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder (STSD), vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue or empathic strain. Regardless of which term is used, there is evidence indicating that these cases do exist and have occurred among professional helpers. Although it is not yet clear how often secondary exposure leads to the development of trauma symptoms, it is probably safe to say that it is fairly infrequent that secondary exposure produces the complete PTSD syndrome.