glossary

The following is an explanatory list of the less familiar phrases which appear in the text.

Critical incident (CI)

An event outside the range of normal human experience which causes distress to almost everyone. Such events are usually sudden and life threatening and often involve physical or emotional loss.

Critical incident stress (CIS)

A term for the unusually strong physical and emotional reactions experienced in the face of a CI.

Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD)

Conducted by specially trained staff, this is designed to lessen the impact of a CI. Ideally taking place 48 to 72 hours after the event, a CISD is an organized group meeting which allows and encourages those involved to discuss their thoughts and reactions in a safe, non-threatening environment.

Critical incident stress defusing

A meeting directly after a CI which allows those involved to describe what happened, talk about their reactions and get information about normal stress reactions and support services available.

Chronic (cumulative) stress

Stress which builds up, often unrecognized, over a period of time. Some issues may be big and long lasting while others may be small or just part of the problems involved in everyday life.