Mental Health in the Veterinary Industry

Veterinary nursing is a very rewarding job; however, it can be emotional and stressful at times. It is important to look after ourselves and our colleagues. Mental health has become a very real issue - as more and more nurses are experiencing depression, anxiety and compassion fatigue, strategies are needed to manage or prevent these things wherever possible.

As compassionate people, nurses can use de-sensitising as a coping mechanism for stress and trauma, which means the true extent of the trauma can easily be overlooked. Having a range of things such as self-care practices, strong support mechanisms in the workplace, and signs and indicators to look out for are crucial for prevention or early detection of trauma or compassion fatigue.

Recognising issues signs and symptoms relating to mental health, trauma or compassion fatigue is the first step to getting help. Signs to be aware of and investigate further (in both yourself and others) are:

• Excessive blaming
• Denial about problems
• Bottling up emotions
• Numbness or inability to feel any emotion
• Isolation from others
• Substance abuse
• Overindulging (eg. overeating or overspending)
• Recurrence of nightmares
• Difficulty concentrating
• Apathetic, sad, or unable to find pleasure in life
• Mentally and physically tired, preoccupied and distracted
• Chronic physical ailments such as gastrointestinal problems
• Panic attacks and high anxiety