Home | About | Resources | Events | Membership | News | Contact | Articles | Jobs | Programs/Services
Did You Know...

MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS

* ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER or (ADHD)
* CONDUCT DISORDER & OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER or (ODD)
* BIPOLAR DISORDER
* ANXIETY DISORDERS
* AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS or (ASD)
* BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER or (BPD)
* SCHIZOPHRENIA
* DEPRESSION
* DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
* POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
* STRESS
* ANOREXIA NERVOSA
* BULIMIA NERVOSA
* AGORAPHOBIA
* ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
* BODY DYSMORPHIA DISORDER or (BDD)
* DEMENTIA
* MUNCHAUSEN’S SYNDROME
* SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER or (SAD)
*SHOCK
* HEALTH BULLETINS
* NYC YOUTH VITAL SIGNS

SHOCK - You often hear people saying that someone's in shock (lazy tabloid journalists and TV soap writers are particularly fond of this phrase), but what does it really mean?

What is it?
Shock can mean anything from a minor surprise to a fatal collapse of the body's circulation.
The most important distinction to make is between psychological (or mental) shock and physiological (or circulatory) shock.

  • Psychological shock can occur after a physically or emotionally traumatic experience but its effect is on your state of mind
  • Physiological shock is a dramatic reduction in blood flow that, if left untreated, can lead to collapse, coma and even death

What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms of shock include:

  • A fast, weak pulse
  • Low blood pressure
  • Feeling faint, weak or nauseous
  • Dizziness
  • Cold, clammy skin
  • Rapid, shallow breathing
  • Blue lips

What causes psychological (mental) shock?
This may be caused by:

  • Hearing bad news, such as the death of a loved one
  • Being involved in a traumatic event, such as an accident
  • Being the victim of crime, violent or otherwise

While psychological shock is less likely to kill you than physiological shock, its effects can persist for years and cause immense disruption. Mild shocks leave you feeling stunned for a while, absorbed in your thoughts and unable to focus on anything else. After a while, though, the brain gets the event in perspective and normal life resumes.

However, especially if the shock is more profound, some people find it harder to return to normal, and may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This tends to affect people in one of three ways:

  • Intrusion - the event is constantly replayed in the mind
  • Avoidance – the person feels numb, retreats from normal emotions and activities, and may use alcohol and drugs as a form of 'self-medication'
  • Increased arousal – the person is left angry, and prone to irritable behavior

It's essential that PTSD is recognized and treated properly because the earlier it's treated, the greater the chance it can be cured.

What causes physiological (circulatory) shock?

This type of shock can be caused by:

  • Severe bleeding
  • Pulmonary embolus (a blood clot in the lungs)
  • Severe vomiting and diarrhea
  • Spinal injury
  • Poisoning

There are also specific types of physiological shock, with very particular symptoms.

Cardiogenic Shock

Cardiogenic shock occurs when the heart is severely damaged - by a major heart attack, for example - and is no longer able to pump blood around the body properly, causing very low blood pressure. This develops after about eight per cent of heart attacks.

It can be difficult to treat, but drugs may be given to make the heart beat stronger. This may be enough to bring someone through the worst until the heart can mend itself, but cardiogenic shock is still fatal in as many as eight out of ten cases. New treatments to 'revascularise' or restore blood flow to the heart muscle are improving survival rates.

Septic shock

This occurs when an overwhelming bacterial infection causes blood pressure to drop. It's fatal in more than 50 per cent of cases. Although it’s caused by bacterial infection, treating septic shock with antibiotics is far from simple, because the bacteria release massive amounts of toxin when they are killed off, which initially makes the shock worse. It must always be treated in hospital where the correct drugs and fluid support can be given.

One type of septic shock is toxic shock syndrome - a rare but severe illness caused by certain strains of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.

Anaphylactic shock

Anaphylactic shock is a severe allergic reaction. Common triggers include bee and wasp stings, nuts, shellfish, eggs, latex and certain medications, including penicillin. Symptoms include burning and swelling of the lips and tongue, difficulty breathing (like in an asthma attack), red, itchy or blistered skin, sneezing, watery eyes, nausea and anxiety. Anaphylaxis requires urgent treatment in hospital. Anaphylaxis requires urgent treatment in hospital. People at risk should always carry an emergency anaphylaxis treatment kit that includes adrenaline. Contact the Anaphylaxis Campaign for more information and advice.

What's the treatment?
If you're with someone who goes into shock, prompt treatment can make all the difference:

  • Lay the person flat and raise their legs by at least 25cm to help restore blood pressure (note that in anaphylactic shock, if the person is conscious but having trouble breathing, it's better to sit them up)
  • Stop any bleeding by applying direct pressure over the wound or a tourniquet on extreme limb injuries (it's harmful to stop the blood flow to a limb for more than 10-15 minutes)
  • Administer anaphylaxis treatment if necessary
  • Loosen tight clothing
  • Keep the person warm with layers of blankets (not a hot water bottle)
  • Don't give them anything to eat or drink because of the risk of vomiting
  • Call an ambulance as soon as possible