PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO WILDERNESS ACCIDENTS - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 38

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF ACCIDENT VICTIMS
The emotional responses of people involved in accidents are similar to the bereavement or
grief that follows loss of a loved one. Because many more individuals have experienced
grief than have been involved in wilderness accidents, the emotional reactions to such
events may be more understandable when compared with grief reactions. This comparison
also demonstrates that most psychological reactions to accidents are normal, even though
they may seem abnormal to individuals who have not experienced such phenomena.
Grief Reactions
The period of mourning that follows loss of a loved one can be lengthy and painful, but
if grief is worked through appropriately, survivors reconcile themselves to the loss and re-
sume their lives. Like other emotional states, bereavement is more easily resolved when
shared with others.
Grief evolves through several stages, and the boundary between normal and abnormal
is often blurred ( Fig. 4-1 ) . Bereaved persons commonly display attitudes, beliefs, and be-
havior that smack of irrationality. Stunned shock and denial characterize the first stage of
this emotional response, which has been labeled the protest phase: “He can't be dead!”
Anger commonly follows and may be directed illogically at the person or circumstance
that caused the loss, at the deceased, or at oneself for not having prevented the loss, or
even for surviving. The bereaved frequently manifest emotional pain by crying, weakness,
lossofappetite,nausea,orsleepdisturbances.Survivorsmaysearchfortheirlovedonesor
mementos of their loved ones.
Afterdaysorweeks,bereavedindividualsmoveintoastagedominatedbydespair.They
experience anguish, grief, and depression; think slowly; display emotional pain; and con-
tinue to search for loved ones and remembrances of them. After weeks or months, they
move slowly into the detachment stage, during which they lose interest in life and want to
withdraw and give up. They appear bland, lack spontaneity and social energy and exhibit
robotic or zombielike behaviors.
Figure 4-1. Diagram of reaction cycle associated with grief 1