Virtual Acute Stress Reaction in a Treatment Team Following a Family Meeting of “Potentates”: Measures of Prevention

Abstract

Background: Volumes have been published on “difficult” patients and their representatives; however, there is sparse literature available as to how a “difficult” patient or a provocative family encounter is experienced by a team of members across various disciplines, associated with the treatment. We report a case to present our experience with “potentates”, a type of “difficult” client, which could help draw suggestions to allow for prevention in more generalized situations.
Objective: To identify strategies that would help avoid occurrences and minimize the negative impacts possibly associated with the responses of the “potentates” towards the treatment team.
Method: The medical case of a 21-year-old female inpatient with provocative psychopathology was presented, initially evoked as a reaction towards her family followed by a state of intense anger and a tendency of being accusatory towards the treatment team during a family meeting. The patient’s response thus led the members of the treatment team to experience signs and symptoms commonly associated with virtual acute stress reaction (ASR).
Results: We analyzed the outcome of the interaction between the patient and the treatment team during the meeting, reviewed the literature relevant to pre-existing research in this domain, and concluded that there could be possible helpful strategies and measures that could be implemented in family meetings to prevent the possibility of virtual ASR. This case report paves the path for further research to ensure the protection of multidisciplinary teams under various clinical settings.
Discussion: A treatment team is potentially vulnerable to physical, verbal, psychodynamic and other commonly implemented modes of attack from patients and their representatives. Appropriate measures need to be implemented with the objective to prevent and minimize the effect of these attacks on the treatment team.