home Consultations Extreme natural conditions for humans. Extreme conditions The influence of extreme conditions on human health

Extreme natural conditions for humans. Extreme conditions The influence of extreme conditions on human health

Extreme environmental factors

Along with considering the influence of anthropogenic factors on the environment, human ecology studies the influence of extreme environmental factors on the human body.

Extreme environmental factors are extreme, very harsh environmental conditions that do not correspond to the innate and acquired properties of the organism.

Extreme factors are divided into the following categories:

natural- low or high temperatures, conditions with rarefied air (high mountains) or high pressure (deep underwater), etc.;

anthropogenic- ionizing radiation, strong magnetic and electric fields, acceleration, weightlessness and other overloads.

A person is not able to fully adapt to the influence of extreme conditions, which leads to disruption of the body’s vital functions and the development of diseases. Thus, when flying on airplanes and spaceships, under the influence of acceleration and weightlessness, breathing and blood circulation change, which can lead to a decrease in performance, the speed of mental processes, and memory deterioration. A peculiarity of the effects of weightlessness is the redistribution of fluid in the body, as a result of which astronauts experience swelling of the face and nasopharynx. The problem of weightlessness remains unresolved, despite more than 40 years of human space exploration.

Extreme conditions are considered dangerous environmental conditions to which the body does not have proper adaptations. Man, like any other living organism, is adapted to life in certain conditions of temperature, light, humidity, gravity, radiation, altitude, etc. These properties were developed in him in the process of evolutionary development. When exposed to extreme conditions, a person can adapt to them to certain limits. For example, most people on Earth live at altitudes up to 3000 m above sea level. About 15 million people live at altitudes up to 4800. But at altitudes above 5500 m a person cannot live permanently. His health deteriorates sharply, diseases rapidly develop, which can lead to inevitable death if he does not return to normal living conditions. This is due to the very low partial pressure of inhaled and exhaled gases, a large difference in day and night temperatures, increased solar radiation, as well as a high density of high-energy heavy particles. The main problem for the human body in such conditions is the transfer of atmospheric oxygen to the cells. An example would be climbers --- conquerors

high mountain peaks. They can conquer the 8,000-meter heights of the Himalayas only in oxygen masks, and they can stay at such an altitude for no more than hours.

Another type of extreme condition is humidity. High humidity is characteristic of tropical forests. Forest thickets allow almost no light to pass through, blocking the path of ultraviolet rays. It's hot and humid here, like in a greenhouse. The average temperature is +28C (fluctuations within 3-9C), the average relative humidity is 95% at night and 60-70% during the day. The winds in the forests are very weak. The air is saturated with carbon dioxide and full of odors, fumes, microscopic hairs, scales and fibers. The level of evaporation here is 3 times higher than the average for the planet as a whole. An example of adaptation to such extreme conditions is the size of people living in tropical forests. They are shorter and weigh less than those that live in open areas. Their average weight is 39.8 kg with a height of 144 cm. For residents of the savannah, these figures are 62.5 kg and 169 cm. Compared with representatives of other population groups, oxygen consumption during physical activity, lung capacity and heart rate are above average.

Ambient temperature is the most important and often life-limiting environmental factor and a type of extreme condition that almost every person can experience during their lifetime. We live and feel comfortable in a rather narrow temperature range. In nature, the temperature is not constant and can fluctuate within a fairly wide range (+60.. - 60C). Sharp temperature fluctuations - severe frosts or heat - have an adverse effect on people's health. However, there are many devices to combat cooling or overheating. Take, for example, the extreme conditions of the North. The acclimatization of the Eskimos (and they still live in ice age conditions) is based on vasomotor-nervous regulation. Animals in the north adapt their bodies to reduced energy output. For some, this even causes the need for hibernation. People in the same circumstances react with increased energy output. This requires developing the ability to obtain enough food for oneself and also influences food choice. It should be as useful to a person as possible. Eskimo food would be inedible for us, since it must contain a large amount of pure fat. An ordinary dinner, for example, proceeds as follows: an Eskimo cuts off a long strip of raw subcutaneous fat, pushes as much as he can into his mouth, snatches off a portion with a knife near his lips, and politely passes the rest to the person sitting next to him. And in other cases in the Arctic, nothing is served except meat, and the only greenery among the Eskimos is the fermented contents of reindeer stomachs, which are digested lichens. As the experience of polar expeditions of past and present years shows, not all of them were able to withstand the harsh conditions of the polar North (or Antarctica) and adapt to them. Many died due to improperly selected food and equipment. The frosts that broke out one winter in Western Europe led to catastrophic consequences and were accompanied by casualties. On those same days in Verkhoyansk (the pole of cold), at a temperature of -57C, schoolchildren aged 8-9 went to school, and herds of purebred domestic horses, accompanied by shepherds, grazed as usual.

refuted these predictions. The manifestation of weightlessness begins to manifest itself with disruption of the vestibular apparatus, inner ear, vision, skin and muscle sensitivity. A person feels as if he is flying head down. Both the severity and duration of these symptoms vary from person to person. As the period of stay in weightlessness increases, they weaken but, as a rule, reappear in the first hours and days after

returning to Earth under Earth's gravity. In weightlessness there is no hydrostatic pressure of the blood, and therefore the reactions caused by the weightlessness of the blood itself begin to take effect. A redistribution of blood occurs: from the lower part it rushes to the upper. This leads to shifts in the metabolism of the heart muscle and its gradual weakening. In addition, symptoms appear associated with a lack of load on the musculoskeletal system.

Atrophy of the muscles responsible for organizing posture under the influence of gravity develops. Due to the loss of calcium and phosphorus salts, the strength of the skeleton changes, especially during long flights. Nevertheless, in conditions of weightlessness, a person can adapt to the absence of gravity and hydrostatic blood pressure.

Man is a social being. Therefore, in addition to natural extreme situations, critical situations related to human life in society may also arise. During a relatively short period of its history, humanity went through periods of slavery, serfdom, and world wars. Living conditions - overcrowding, fear, malnutrition, disease - are the cause of serious, sometimes unbearable suffering for many people. In such conditions, acute physical, mental and social stress arises, creating

life threatening. health and well-being of people.

The effects of stress affect the basic physiological reactions of the central nervous system, as well as the activity of the endocrine glands. Biologically active substances produced by the endocrine glands (hormones), together with nerve impulses, influence almost every cell of the body.

However, even under stressful conditions, humans develop adaptive phenomena. Man has always had the ability to adapt to the natural and artificial environment. This is a process as a result of which a person gradually acquires previously absent resistance to certain environmental factors and thus gains the opportunity to live in conditions previously incompatible with life. Full adaptation of a person in extreme situations preserves the possibility of intellectual activity, behavior appropriate to the situation, and procreation. However, it must be remembered that prolonged, intense, repetitive stress causes reactions that ultimately lead to the deterioration of physical health.

Human adaptation is a process as a result of which the body gradually acquires previously absent resistance to certain environmental factors and thus gains the opportunity to live in conditions that were previously incompatible with life and to solve problems that were previously insoluble. Traffic accidents are the catastrophic epidemic of our time. Over the course of 10 years, 22 million people died in road accidents worldwide. Of course, a traffic accident cannot always be attributed to extreme conditions. But there are times when during an accident people really find themselves in an extreme situation. For example, on July 22, 1970, in Delhi, a flood wave from a highway washed away 25 buses, 5 taxis and one military vehicle into a nearby ravine. Lost a lot of life

number of people. The cause of death was not only the accident itself, but also the panic that arose among people.

As a rule, the largest number of victims are railway and sea accidents associated with large passenger transportation. On March 2, 1944, a train carrying soldiers on vacation stopped in a tunnel near Salerno in Italy: 526 people suffocated in the smoke. When on October 22, 1949, near the town of Nowy Dvor in Poland, an ambulance derailed

train Gdansk - Warsaw, it cost the lives of two hundred people. The worst train disaster was the express train accident on a bridge east of Hyderabad in India on September 28, 1954: the train crashed into a river, killing 1,172 people. 238 people died on the Uskudar ferry that sank in Istanbul. And other facts.

Unlike natural disasters, transport accidents are primarily a social phenomenon. With the development of new modern modes of transport, new problems arise.

Recently, we have witnessed a dramatic decline in people’s caution and increased risk-taking. This is a general phenomenon in the human-machine system. We are accustomed to the efficiency of technology and take little into account the possibility of its failure. Some people simply forget the consequences of such carelessness and who will have to pay for it.

The same applies to hazardous industries where they work with highly toxic microorganisms, radioactive substances, etc.

Extreme factors - numerous factors of the external environment (physical, chemical, biological) can become pathogenic if the force of influence exceeds the adaptive capabilities of the body, as well as in the event of a change in its reactivity.

In such conditions, an extremely serious condition can develop, with cat. The death of the organism occurs before the pathological process develops and incl. protective-adaptive mechanisms - extreme state.

Extreme conditions, different in their etiology, have common development mechanisms and, to an extreme extent, are terminal in nature - shock, collapse, coma, agony.

Overheating

In conditions of rising temperature and air humidity, heat transfer is difficult and occurs when the mechanisms of physical thermoregulation are tense (dilation of peripheral vessels, increased sweating). When the air temperature rises to 33˚C, heat is transferred by evaporation, not by conduction or radiation. The balance between heat production and its release to the external environment is disrupted, which leads to heat retention and overheating.

Stages:

Compensation - normal body temperature is maintained
Decompensation - increased body temperature

The central nervous system, respiration, blood circulation, and metabolism are stimulated. Further t and overexcitation of the nervous system. centers →exhaustion, respiratory failure, heart function and ↓BP. Hypoxia develops.

Profuse sweating→dehydration, electrolyte imbalance. Blood thickening → viscosity → additional load on the circulatory system → heart failure. Against the backdrop of increasing oxygen starvation, convulsions appear and death occurs.

Heatstroke - acute overheating with a rapid increase in body temperature.

Manifestations: dry and hot skin, decreased sweating, general muscle weakness and weakness of the heart muscle, possible loss of consciousness, delirium, hallucinations, clonic and tonic convulsions. Blood thickening and an increase in its viscosity create additional stress on the circulatory system and contribute to heart failure. Gas exchange, pulmonary ventilation and blood pressure begin ↓, pulse rate ↓, arrhythmias are possible. Breathing becomes rare. Death occurs from paralysis of the respiratory center.

Sunstroke - The clinical picture resembles heat.

The etiological factor is heat from the sun's rays acting on an uncovered head. An additional factor is high air temperature. The skin and bones of the skull block a large number of sunlight, some of them (infrared rays) penetrate and have a damaging effect on the meninges and nerve tissue. UV rays release biologically active amines from cells, promote protein breakdown and the formation of polypeptides, and the latter, through a reflex/humoral pathway, can become a factor damaging the meninges and nerve tissue.

Burn - occurs under local exposure to high t and manifests itself in the form of local destructive and reactive changes, the severity of the cat. determined by degrees:

1 redness (erythema), mild inflammatory reaction without compromising the integrity of the skin

2 acute exudative inflammation of the skin, formation of blisters with detachment of the epidermis

3 partial skin necrosis and ulceration

4 charring of tissues, necrosis.

Burn disease

burn shock-pain factor
intoxication - denatured protein and products of its enzymatic hydrolysis from damaged tissues.
burn infection
dehydration - loss of proteins and fluids
burn exhaustion - cachexia, edema, anemia, etc.
outcome: rejection of necrotic tissue, filling of the defect with granulations, scarring, epithelization.

Fever should be distinguished from other hyperthermic conditions and from hyperthermic reactions.

Fever

Fever is caused by pyrogens.

The development of fever is based on the transition of the thermoregulation system to a new, higher functional level.

During fever, the body's thermoregulation mechanisms are preserved.

These signs are used to differentiate fever from a qualitatively different condition - overheating of the body (hyperthermia).

Hyperthermia

The cause of hyperthermia (overheating of the body) is often high ambient temperature.

The key link in the pathogenesis of overheating of the body is the failure of thermoregulation mechanisms.

It is necessary to distinguish hyperthermic reactions of the body from fever and hyperthermia.

Hyperthermic reactions

Hyperthermic reactions are caused by non-pyrogenic agents.

The development of hyperthermic reactions is usually based on a temporary predominance of heat production over heat transfer.

We must not forget that any such work can cause a hyperthermic reaction.

Stress are among the top ten causes of disease.

It is wrong to think that stress is caused only by unpleasant events. Excessive joy can also lead to stress. For example, the stress of successfully passing a session can cause the same changes in the body as stress caused by a strong fright.

The most painful and dangerous is traumatic stress, which occurs as a result of life-threatening events such as wars, natural disasters, car accidents, criminal violence, etc.

There are several definitions of stress:

1. As a stimulus: stress can be considered as a characteristic of the environment (lack of time, unhealthy work environment, etc.).
2. As a reaction: stress is seen as a state of mental tension that occurs in response to difficult circumstances.
3. Lack of balance in the relationship between a person and the environment (an interaction model for a stressful situation). A person experiences stress when the perceived demands of the environment become greater than the perceived ability to meet those demands.

The most general concept that considers the body’s response mechanisms to danger at all levels is the concept of stress, developed by G. Selye . According to this concept, the general adaptation syndrome there is a universal reaction to any demand presented to the body that determines it tension (stress) aimed at overcoming difficulties and adaptation to increased demands.

Selye identifies three phases of the general adaptation syndrome:

- Anxiety reaction, reflecting the mobilization of all the body’s resources.
- The resistance phase, in which, due to the mobilization that has occurred, the body resists the stress-causing influences, effectively maintaining homeostasis without noticeable damage to health.
- The phase of exhaustion, in which too long or intense struggle with the damaging factor leads to distress - failure of adaptation and the development of pathological processes and diseases.

Under stress, there is an intense consumption of energy and functional reserves of the body.

Despite the unity of the mechanisms of the general adaptation syndrome, its manifestations can be different depending on the intensity, duration and nature of the action of the damaging factor.

The form of stress that plays the most important role in human adaptation is emotional (mental) stress.

There are two types of stress:

1. Systemic (physiological) stress.
2. Mental (emotional) stress.

Emotional stress acts as the body’s response to internal and external processes, which strains physiological and psychological abilities to a degree close to the limit or exceeding them.

The differences between the mentioned types of stress are explained by:

- at physiological stress- direct impact of adverse factors on the body.
- at mental stress- inclusion of a complex hierarchy of mental processes that mediate the influence of a stressful situation, in which there may not be a direct damaging effect on the body.

A necessary condition for the occurrence of mental stress is the perception of a threat (emotional stress does not arise as dangerous), and the perception of a situation as threatening is associated with cognitive (cognitive) processes, with personality characteristics (anxiety, emotional stability, etc.).

A mandatory attribute of emotional stress, a signal indicating the insufficiency of a person’s functional reserves to overcome a threat, is anxiety. Linking feelings, anxiety with a specific threat is designated as fear.

Anxiety and fear are signs of tension in the mechanisms of mental adaptation, stimuli that activate adaptation mechanisms, forcing them to look for a way out of a stressful situation.

Depending on the level of anxiety and fear, a person's behavior may vary. Disorders of mental adaptation may manifest themselves in decreased efficiency, disrupted interpersonal relationships, and a narrowing of the range of interests or their level.

If severe, these phenomena can be considered as mental health disorders.

Stress and its attributes (anxiety and fear) are mandatory components of the functional state of people located in emergency situations and exposed to certain hazards.

Possible psychological symptoms of stress:

feeling that something bad is going to happen

constant unreasonable anxiety and nervousness

inability to relax

Depression

feeling of powerlessness or helplessness

drowsiness

weakening of memory and attention

Often people try to overcome the effects of stress by resorting to alcohol or medications, but while they bring temporary relief, these drugs only worsen their overall condition. If a person constantly experiences any of the above symptoms or notices a habit of dealing with stress with the help of alcohol, he may need to seek help from a psychiatrist or psychologist. There are also various misconceptions related to stress.

Stress affects only the psyche, without causing harm to the physical state. By influencing the psyche, stress affects the body as a whole. For example, hypertension, gastric and duodenal ulcers are often the result of stress. There is a concept of “psychosomatic diseases”, which refers to very real “physical” diseases.

Hysterics.

Nervous trembling.

Motor excitement.

Aggression.

» Stupor,

Violence, etc.

Crying

Crying can be attributed to reactions that allow you to give vent to negative emotions. The reaction of crying can be considered as normal and even desirable in situations of loss of a loved one, loss of housing, home. The manifestation of a crying reaction is a symptom of the processing of negative emotions, so it is extremely important to allow the crying reaction to take place.

Signs

The person is already crying or ready to burst into tears; lips tremble; there is a feeling of depression; Unlike hysteria, there is no excitement in behavior.

Help "

In a situation where the victim begins to have a crying reaction, it is extremely important to give the person support on the rational, verbal and physical levels. It is undesirable to leave the victim alone; if it is impossible to provide such a person with professional assistance, it is necessary to ensure that someone is with him, preferably a close or familiar person. It is possible and advisable to use physical contact with the victim (take the hand; put your hand on the shoulder or back, stroke the head); this will help a person feel that someone is nearby, that he is not alone.

The use of techniques ((active listening) helps to join a person on a verbal level, which provides the opportunity for a crying reaction to take place, to throw out one’s grief. Periodically say “uh-huh”, “uh-huh”, “yes”, nod your head, i.e. confirm that you are listening and sympathize. Repeat after the person excerpts of phrases in which he expresses his feelings. Talk about your feelings and the feelings of the victim. Do not ask questions or give advice.

If a person holds back tears, then emotional release and relief does not occur. If this continues long enough, it can damage a person's physical and psychological health.

Hysterics

Signs

Consciousness remains, but contact is almost impossible; excessive excitement, lots of movements, theatrical poses; speech is emotionally rich, fast; screams, sobs.

Help

Remove spectators, create a calm environment. If it is not dangerous, stay alone with the victim. Unexpectedly perform an action that can stop the hysteria (you can slap the face, pour water on it, drop an object with a roar, or sharply shout at the victim). Speak to the victim in short phrases, in a confident tone (“drink water”, “wash yourself”),

After the hysteria comes a breakdown. Put the victim to sleep. Before the specialist arrives, monitor his condition. Do not indulge the wishes of the victim.

Nervous trembling

You can often observe the following picture: a person who has just experienced an accident, attack, or witnessed an incident trembles violently. This is an uncontrollable nervous trembling - this is how the body “relieves” tension. If this reaction is stopped, tension will remain in the body and can cause muscle pain and other illnesses.

Signs

Trembling begins suddenly immediately after the incident or after a short time; strong trembling of the whole body or its individual parts appears (a person cannot hold small objects in his hands or light a cigarette).

Help

It is necessary to increase his trembling; To do this, take the victim by the shoulders, shake him strongly and sharply for 10 - 15 seconds. During this technique, talk to him, otherwise the person may perceive your actions as an attack.

Wrong hug or hold the victim close, cover him, calm him down, tell him to pull himself together.

Fear

A child wakes up at night because he had a nightmare. A person who survived an earthquake cannot enter his surviving apartment. Once I got into an accident, a person does not drive. All this is fear.

Signs

Muscle tension (especially facial), palpitations, rapid shallow breathing, decreased control of one’s own behavior; panic fear and horror can prompt flight, cause numbness, and aggressive behavior; at the same time, the person has little control over what he is doing and what is happening around him.

Help

Remember that fear can be useful when it helps you avoid danger (it's scary to walk along dark streets at night). Therefore, it is necessary to fight fear when it interferes with living a normal life (a child is afraid of monsters that live under the bed; a person who has experienced violence is afraid to enter his entrance).

To help someone, place their hand on your wrist. so that he can feel your calm pulse; this is a signal - “I am here now, you are not alone.” Breathe deeply and evenly. Encourage the victim to breathe V the same rhythm as you. Give the victim a light massage of the most tense muscles in the body.

If the victim speaks, listen to him, show interest, understanding, sympathy. Use distracting activities that do not require complex intellectual activities.

Invite the person to find an image of his fear, get a detailed description, ask him to project it onto an imaginary screen (“What does your fear look like? What color, shape, does it move or not?”, etc.). Ask me to enlarge (or zoom in) this image, I will then reduce (or delete) it; this will allow the victim to feel in control of his own fear. (“Try increasing your image by 1% , now reduce by 2%, etc.).

Ask the victim to find the place in the body where the fear is currently “located”. Help the person talk through the bodily sensations caused by fear. Ask to find and describe the opposite sensation in the body (“What is the opposite of tension?”, “Where does it feel in the body?”). After a detailed description, return to the location of fear in the body and ask about what has changed in sensations, “travel” from bodily sensations of fear to resourceful, positive experiences until the latter become insignificant.

With children, use the technique of bringing the image of fear outward (i.e., a drawing, a figure made of plasticine or clay). Ask what the child would like to do with his fear (tear, crumple, burn, hide); after that, do what you want with your child.

These simple techniques can help you cope with the unpleasant experience of fear.

Motor excitement

Sometimes the shock of a critical situation is so strong that a person simply ceases to understand what is happening around him. he does not understand where the enemies are and where the helpers are, where the danger is and where the salvation is. The only thing he can do is move. Movements can be very simple (“I ran, and when I came to my senses, it turned out that I didn’t know where I was”) or quite complex (“I did this, talked to someone, ran somewhere, but nothing I can't remember").

Signs

Abrupt movements, often aimless and meaningless actions, abnormally loud speech; there is often no reaction to others; danger of harm to yourself and others.

Help

It is necessary to hold the person using the “grab” technique - being from behind, insert your hands under the armpits of the victim, press him to you and slightly tip him over; isolate the victim from others; massage his positive points; speak in a calm voice, do not argue, and avoid phrases with the particle “not” in your conversation.

Aggression

Each person experiences a critical situation in his own way - some freeze, some run, and some begin to get angry. The manifestation of anger or aggression can persist for quite a long time (it will disturb the victim himself and those around him/

Signs

Irritation, dissatisfaction, anger (for any, even minor reason); striking others with hands or any objects; verbal abuse, swearing; muscle tension; increase in blood pressure.

Help

Minimize the number of people around you. -

Give the victim an opportunity to “let off steam” (for example, to talk it out or “beat” a pillow).

Assign tasks that involve high physical exertion. Show kindness.

Try to defuse the situation with funny comments or actions.

Aggression can be extinguished by fear of punishment - if there is no goal to gain benefit from aggressive behavior, if the punishment is severe and the likelihood of its implementation is high. If aggression is caused by any person - (boss, acquaintance, co-worker), then you can use several simple techniques:

- offer to visualize him (“Imagine this person, concentrate on his clothes, voice, behavior),
- offer to do the following actions with an unpleasant image - reduce it in size, dress it in funny clothes, draw a mustache, etc.

Another variant. After the appearance of the person causing aggression is presented in the smallest detail, ask to remember some place where it was very good, calm, cozy, offer to place the unpleasant image on a bright picture of such a place, ask to gradually reduce the negative image to a small speck.

Try different options. Ask again to remember the image of the “bad” person and the situation that caused the aggression. Do this until the image evokes sharply negative emotions.

Stupor

The man is motionless, sits in one position and does not react to anything; he seems to be “numb with grief.” This is how stupor manifests itself - one of the body’s most powerful defensive reactions. This happens when a person has spent so much energy on survival that he no longer has the strength to interact with the outside world.

Signs

A sharp decrease or absence of voluntary movements and speech, lack of reactions to external stimuli (noise, light, touch, pain), “freezing” in a certain position, numbness, a state of complete immobility; possible tension of individual muscle groups.

Help

Bend the victim's fingers on both hands and press them to the base of the palm, thumbs should be pointed outward. Using the tips of your thumb and forefinger, massage the victim's points located on the forehead above the eyes, exactly halfway between the hairline and eyebrows. Place the palm of your free hand on the victim's chest. Match your breathing to the rhythm of his breathing.

A person in such a state can hear and see, so speak into his ear quietly, slowly and clearly what can cause strong emotions (preferably negative).

It is important to achieve a reaction from the victim by any means, to bring him out of his stupor.

Apathy

Irresistible fatigue. Any movement or word comes with great difficulty. There is indifference and indifference in the soul - there is no strength even for emotions.

Signs

Indifferent attitude to the environment, lethargy, lethargy, speech is slow, with long pauses.

Help

Talk to the victim. Ask him a few simple questions (What is your name? How are you feeling? Are you hungry?).

Take the victim to a place of rest, help him get comfortable (be sure to take off his shoes), take him by the hand or put your hand on his forehead. Give the person the opportunity to sleep or lie down.

If there is no opportunity to rest (an incident on the street, in public transport, waiting for the end of the operation in the hospital), talk with the victim, involve him in any joint activity (take a walk, drink tea or coffee, help others who need help).

Life-threatening violence (adult assistance)

Such situations include hijacking by terrorists, robbery, robbery.

In a short time, there is a confrontation with the real threat of Death (in everyday life, the psyche creates protection in the form of illusions that allow one to perceive death as a distant and unreal event.

Even if a person was not subjected to physical violence, he still received severe mental trauma. The image of the world changes, reality seems filled with fatal accidents. A person begins to divide his life into two parts - before the event and after it. He has the feeling that others cannot understand his feelings and experiences.

Help

Give the person the opportunity to express feelings related to the events experienced in a conversation; if he refuses to talk, offer to describe the event that happened and his feelings in a diary or as a story.

Show the person that even V In connection with the most terrible event, one can draw conclusions that are useful for later life (let the person himself reflect on the experience that he acquired during the trials of life).

Give the person the opportunity to communicate with people who experienced a tragic situation with him (exchange phone numbers of participants in the event).

Do not allow the victim to play the role of “victim”, i.e. use the tragic event experienced for gain (“I can’t do anything, because I experienced such terrible minutes”),

Violence associated with a threat to life (helping a child)

The child has experienced violence against himself or family members, or witnessed the infliction of injuries to other people.

The child experiences the same strong feelings as the adult fear of repetition of the event, destruction of the illusion of a fair world, helplessness). Direct violence against a child may be too difficult and unbearable for him, which is expressed in silence and numbness.

The child may have a picture of the event fixed in his memory. He can again and again draw the most terrible moments of what happened (mutilated or wounded people).

If a child associates the actions of a criminal with rage, then he loses faith that adults can cope with themselves; begins to be afraid of his own uncontrollable emotions, especially if he has fantasies related to revenge.

The child may feel guilty, i.e. consider one's previous behavior as the cause of existence

A child who has experienced a traumatic event does not see a further life prospect - does not know what will happen to them in a day, month, year; loses interest in previously exciting activities. For a child, an experienced event can cause a stop in

personal development.

Help

Let your child know that what he experienced is important to us; that you knew other kids who had gone through this too (“You not alone. I I know one very brave, courageous boy to whom this also happened.”

Create an atmosphere of safety (hug your child as often as possible, talk to him, take part in his games).

Look at good photographs with your child - this will allow you to appeal To early images and alleviate recent traumatic memory.

Reduce conversations about the event from describing details to feelings. Help your child build a life perspective (specific goals for specific dates). Repeat that it is completely normal to feel helpless. fear, anger.

Increase your child's self-esteem (praise his actions more often).

Encourage your child to play with sand, water, clay (help him externalize his experiences in the form of images).

Do not allow your child to become a tyrant; do not fulfill any of his wishes out of pity.

Disasters, accidents, natural disasters

In case of disasters, natural disasters, explosions, accidents, you may encounter a situation where a person is isolated in a rubble (in case of explosions and earthquakes); from the roofs of houses, trees (during floods); in a car (in case of an accident). This person is a direct victim of the disaster.

Imagine the situation: you are in a dark room littered with furniture; you have no idea where and what is, and you don’t know how to get out. The situation in which a person is trapped is much worse. One can imagine that in this case any information is the only connection with the outside world and becomes worth its weight in gold. What is important is what and how to say.

You need to speak loudly, slowly and clearly when in a jam. Inform people that help is on the way and about the rules of behavior - maximum savings of effort; breathing is slow, shallow, through nose, this will save oxygen in the body and the surrounding space; prohibition on physical actions for self-liberation.

Those freed from the rubble are first provided with medical assistance; psychological assistance is necessary and possible in the case when medical assistance has already been provided or its provision is not yet possible (the person is isolated)

Fatal disease

A person’s attitude towards what awaits him changes as follows:

denial - “No, not me!”

anger - ((Why me?

“bargaining” - the patient enters into negotiations to prolong his life; promises, for example, to be obedient, to become a believer;

depression - does not ask questions, cries, withdraws into himself;

acceptance of reality.

It is important to move as quickly as possible from denial to recognition of what is inevitable, in order to stop being afraid of death. There is an ingrained stereotype - “fight death to the end”; however, what is actually required is for a person to accept death on a spiritual level.

Help

Encourage thoughts of leaving rather than death Talk to the person as much as possible; ask him to talk about various episodes of his life.

Encourage you to think (remember) about successes and life achievements.

Don't leave a person alone if he needs support or wants to talk.

Make a person's unfulfilled desires come true (playing out a situation in a Battle down to the smallest detail that never materialized).

If the person is still quite active, do not try to protect him from everyday worries. Help make a plan of things that a person would like to do.

Find a resource (activity, thoughts, memories, unfinished business) for a person that will help him live the rest of his life without mental anguish.

Remember:

What body systems perform a regulatory function?

Answer. The regulatory function is performed by the nervous, integumentary, circulatory, digestive, urinary, lymphatic, respiratory, and endocrine systems.

Questions after § 14

What is meant by stress?

Answer. Translated from English, “stress” means “tension.” Stress is a general nonspecific neurohumoral reaction of the body to the influence of various factors - stressors that place increased demands on the body. Stressors can be divided into physical - heat, cold; mental – danger, conflicts. Different types of stress cause similar biochemical changes in the body. In a stressful situation, the level of certain hormones in the blood (adrenaline, norepinephrine, etc.) increases, which leads to increased blood supply to the brain, lungs, heart, and muscles. Blood glucose levels rise, breathing and heart rate increase - the body prepares to repel dangerous influences. And these reactions can be observed in a person not only in the presence of true danger, but also, for example, when remembering certain situations.

Describe the phases of stress

Answer. There are three stages:

Anxiety – causes mobilization of the whole body, increases the formation of adrenal hormones. Tensions begin to rise rapidly. In some cases this tension may last only a few minutes, in others it may continue for a long time. At this stage, the reaction of an individual person is specific. In some people, thought processes accelerate, optimal decisions are quickly made, and the muscular system is activated. Other people may experience the opposite effect.

Resistance – this phase occurs in cases where the impact of external stress factors does not stop. The organism, mobilized at the previous stage, begins to resist stress. The person looks healthy and active, continues to react objectively to external stimuli, and tries to solve all problems that arise in a constructive way. The adaptive capabilities of the body are balanced, the person has “worked in” and is ready to withstand unfavorable and strong environmental factors. Like the first phase, the resistance phase does not pose a danger to humans.

Exhaustion - the final phase of the development of stress is characterized by depletion of human strength and begins when the second phase continues for too long and the person does not receive any rest. The body's resources are exhausted, and a person's resilience begins to rapidly decline. Physiological problems such as loss of appetite and sleep disturbances begin to appear. The person begins to lose weight, his blood pressure becomes unstable and often rises. There is a feeling of constant fatigue, depression and weakness. If a person is not given the opportunity to rest at this step, it can cause serious mental, psychological and illness. Help can come from outside in the form of support or elimination of a stressor. Otherwise, adaptation capabilities will be overloaded, which leads to psychological trauma and illness.

In what cases can stress be beneficial?

Answer. Scientists believe that in some cases the first phase of stress can be considered beneficial, since it hardens the body and trains it for instant mobilization.

How to resist a stressor?

Answer. Emotional stress can be relieved by:

Successful activity;

Listening to melodic music;

Communication with nature;

Communication with loved ones;

Communication with pets;

Relaxation techniques;

Proper alternation of work and rest;

Full sleep.

Sharp temperature fluctuations - severe frosts or heat - have an adverse effect on people's health. However, there are many devices to combat cooling or overheating.

Take, for example, the extreme conditions of the North. The acclimatization of the Eskimos (and they still live in ice age conditions) is based on vasomotor-nervous regulation. Animals in the north adapt their bodies to reduced energy output. For some, this even causes the need for hibernation. People in the same circumstances react with increased energy output. This requires developing the ability to obtain enough food for oneself and also influences food choice. It should be as useful to a person as possible. Eskimo food would be inedible for us, since it must contain a large amount of pure fat. An ordinary dinner, for example, proceeds as follows: an Eskimo cuts off a long strip of raw subcutaneous fat, pushes as much as he can into his mouth, snatches off a portion with a knife near his lips, and politely passes the rest to the person sitting next to him. And in other cases in the Arctic, nothing is served except meat, and the only greenery among the Eskimos is the fermented contents of reindeer stomachs, which are digested lichens.

As the experience of polar expeditions of past and present years shows, not all of them were able to withstand the harsh conditions of the polar North (or Antarctica) and adapt to them.

Many died due to improperly selected food and equipment.

The frosts that broke out one winter in Western Europe led to catastrophic consequences and were accompanied by casualties. On those same days in Verkhoyansk (the pole of cold), at a temperature of -57C, schoolchildren aged 8-9 went to school, and herds of purebred domestic horses, accompanied by shepherds, grazed as usual.

Weightlessness is a relatively new type of extreme conditions that arose as a result of human exploration of outer space. Before man's first flight into space, some scientists argued that he would not be able to work in a state of weightlessness and, moreover, believed that the psyche of a normal person would not be able to withstand weightlessness. The flight of the first cosmonaut refuted these predictions. The manifestation of weightlessness begins to manifest itself with disruption of the vestibular apparatus, inner ear, vision, skin and muscle sensitivity. A person feels as if he is flying head down. Both the severity and duration of these symptoms vary from person to person. As the period of stay in weightlessness increases, they weaken but, as a rule, reappear in the first hours and days after returning to Earth under conditions of earthly gravity. In weightlessness there is no hydrostatic pressure of the blood, and therefore the reactions caused by the weightlessness of the blood itself begin to take effect. A redistribution of blood occurs: from the lower part it rushes to the upper. This leads to shifts in the metabolism of the heart muscle and its gradual weakening. In addition, symptoms appear associated with a lack of load on the musculoskeletal system. Atrophy of the muscles responsible for organizing posture under the influence of gravity develops. Due to the loss of calcium and phosphorus salts, the strength of the skeleton changes, especially during long flights. Nevertheless, in conditions of weightlessness, a person can adapt to the absence of gravity and hydrostatic blood pressure.

However, even under stressful conditions, humans develop adaptive phenomena.

Man has always had the ability to adapt to the natural and artificial environment. This is a process as a result of which a person gradually acquires previously absent resistance to certain environmental factors and thus gains the opportunity to live in conditions previously incompatible with life. Full adaptation of a person in extreme situations preserves the possibility of intellectual activity, behavior appropriate to the situation, and procreation. However, it must be remembered that prolonged, intense, repetitive stress causes reactions that ultimately lead to the deterioration of physical health.

Traffic accidents are the catastrophic epidemic of our time. Over the course of 10 years, 22 million people died in road accidents worldwide. Of course, a traffic accident cannot always be attributed to extreme conditions. But there are times when during an accident people really find themselves in an extreme situation. For example, on July 22, 1970, in Delhi, a flood wave from a highway washed away 25 buses, 5 taxis and one military vehicle into a nearby ravine. A large number of people lost their lives. The cause of death was not only the accident itself, but also the panic that arose among people.

As a rule, the largest number of victims are railway and sea accidents associated with large passenger transportation.

On March 2, 1944, a train carrying soldiers on vacation stopped in a tunnel near Salerno in Italy: 526 people suffocated in the smoke. When the Gdansk-Warsaw fast train derailed on October 22, 1949, near the town of Nowy Dvor in Poland, it cost the lives of two hundred people. The worst train disaster was the express train accident on a bridge east of Hyderabad in India on September 28, 1954: the train crashed into a river, killing 1,172 people. 238 people died on the Uskudar ferry that sank in Istanbul. And other facts.

Unlike natural disasters, transport accidents are primarily a social phenomenon. With the development of new modern modes of transport, new problems arise.

The same applies to hazardous industries where they work with highly toxic microorganisms, radioactive substances, etc.