Energy Vampires

Mental health website Verywell Mind recently posted an article about “energy vampires,” or individuals who “sap your emotional energy, either intentionally or unconsciously [1].”  

The article reports that empaths (individuals who are particularly sensitive to others’ emotions) connected with energy vampires often find themselves in a toxic situation.  Those who interact with energy vampires are often left feeling: distressed, worried, angry, guilty, shameful, sad, disappointed, and/or confused [1].  

Energy vampires are classified into 7 different categories [1]:

• The Victim
• The Criticizer
• The Dramatizer
• The Manipulator
• The Negative Thinker
• The Blamer

Signs of an energy vampire include [1]:

• A constant need to be the center of attention
• A tendency to embellish every scenario
• Twisting situations so that they are never to be blamed for anything
• Eliciting feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression in those around them
• Requiring emotional support from those around them but not reciprocating such support in return

According to the author, an energy vampire can be one’s friend, family, romantic partner, work colleague, or neighbor [1].  

In reading this post, I wonder if clinicians are allowed to categorize certain patients as energy vampires.  Is it okay to acknowledge that some patients “sap our emotional energy, either intentionally or unconsciously,” and leave us emotionally drained?  How often have you completed a visit with a patient – one that should have been simple, straightforward, and without controversy – feeling completely drained, frustrated, and borderline questioning your entire decision to become a healthcare provider?  Are APPs, physicians, and medical support staff allowed to feel this way about those who come to us for help?  Are we bad for feeling completely defeated after such interactions?

The author concludes with suggestions on protecting oneself from emotional soul-suckers.  While the article’s recommendations target how one interacts with coworkers and other personal acquaintances, I feel clinicians may also relate this article to specific patient encounters…  and is it okay to admit this?

While clinicians are expected to be endlessly empathetic, we are also human.  The energy in our brains can succumb to patient interactions that can be tough to shake off.  

I am unsure if the article’s steps to “protect yourself against an energy vampire” necessarily apply to the patient-clinician relationship.  However, for our mental health, healthcare workers must figure out how to cope with such interactions.  

Do you have advice for other clinicians struggling with the energy vampires on their patient roster? 

Nikki Rataj Casady, DMSc, PA-C

email@appcolleague.org