EMS Provider Mental Health And Wellness

DrParasite

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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I saw the post from @NomadicMedic and his crew that had a really bad call... Many of us have had those really bad calls... if you haven't, you likely will sometime in the future. And saw the post from @ChrisMed1 about some of the mental health issues he was experiencing... and some older stuff that others have posted about over the past few years. And had one of my EMS academy-mates commit suicide shortly after graduating.

One of my former coworkers used to say "you need to be crazy to do this job," and knowing many of my coworkers, he's not entirely wrong; Mental health issues are all too common, and EMS workers are not exempt from experiencing them. But like many in the military, and other public safety areas, we get the added bonus of seeing stuff that many people wouldn't ever want to deal with. And like many, in our field, we ignore them and pretend they don't affect us, and our employer's management when it comes to crews who experience those seriously bad calls has, historically, been piss poor, especially when the system has calls holding. Thankfully, some places are making progress in that area due to better leadership, but it's still the rarity, not the norm.

As a result, I did want to share some resources, for anyone who might need them... or thinks they are the only person to ever go through this. It's a lot more common than many want to admit.

www.jems.com

It Is Not OK to Be Not OK

“We are in a war against death and disability,” writes Dr. Chris Caulkins.
www.jems.com www.jems.com

WRD_Breakthestigma_Black_1.jpg



and a few Jason Patton Videos
  • EMS Helpline – +1 (888)-731-FIRE (3473)
    • Service provided by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to prevent suicide and provide free resources, confidential support, and other tools to improve mental health.
  • Safe Call Now – +1 (206)-459-3020
    • Safe Call Now is an organization initially founded in the state of Washington, that extended its operation nationwide. Staffed by public safety professionals and former law enforcement officers, the organization provides simple and confidential way to ask for help for a wide range of issues. Safe Call Now works collectively with a variety of unions, public safety groups and various mental health and substance abuse professionals to support first responders and those in the line of trauma around the nation.
  • The Code Green Campaign
    • First responder oriented mental health advocacy and education organization. Also known as Code Green, they serve all types of first responders. This includes firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, police, corrections, air medical, and search & rescue. Their name is a combination of the color for mental health awareness (green) and the “code alerts” used in emergency services. If someone is having a stroke or heart attack first responders will call a “code stroke” or “code STEMI”. The idea is that Code Green is calling a code alert on the mental health of first responders.



First Responder Mental Health and Suicide: An Evidence-Based approach

EMS Update Newsletter - Fall 2021 - First Responder Mental Health and Suicide: An Evidence-Based Approach
www.ems.gov www.ems.gov


ncoae.org

Maintaining Resilience and Mental Health in the EMS Profession - National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education

The suicide rate among emergency medical service (EMS) professionals rose a shocking 38 percent since 2009, according to a study published in the Western
ncoae.org ncoae.org


www.jems.com

A Frontline Battle: The Mental Health Crisis in Emergency Medical Services

Taylor Shearer reviews mental health issues in EMS, its factors and offers suggestions on how to better manage mental well-being.
www.jems.com www.jems.com

How to Build Mental Health Resilience in EMS – EMS Week 2024

emsweek.org emsweek.org

and one thing about cancer
 
This is getting pinned.
 
Mind the Frontline is a new but good mental health resource.

Great post. Thanks for pinning it.
 
For flight crews ECHO FAST is a great service from what I have heard.
 
It is hard to ask for help; I know, I didn't ask for help until it was almost to late.
And right now I work somewhere that has great benefits, and a lot of ways to get help, but not for EMS. We can't ask for help without it affecting out jobs

Get the help if you need it
 
NomadicMedic said:
Actually there are plenty of places that stigmatize mental health and asking for help puts your employment in jeopardy.

It’s unfair and unfortunate.
Click to expand...
I'd say there is some kind of stigma that exists at most places, contrary to the prevailing official narratives. So you don't go to them. It isn't a foregone conclusion that the employer becomes aware of someone seeking help. Chaplains, organizations like Courageous Survivor, outside agencies.... Lots of SO's, police and fire departments contract with 'culturally competent' mental health providers that can provide confidential and privileged help or refer to same. The anonymous help is there. And if the situation is to the point where a clinician would advise coming off the job for a while, a negative impression on the mouth breathing knuckle draggers at work is the least of the worries.
 
I’ve been a member of a CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) Team. All the team members are FFs, EMTs, Medics, COs, or LEOs. When we’ve been called for a Debriefing, the members of the Dept. that called us are surprised & grateful that the Team members are people who have; been where they’ve been, seen what they’ve seen, smelled what they’ve smelled, touched what they’ve touched, felt and thought the same as they’re thinking.
There is great training out there for anyone who would like to get involved.
 
There are classes anyone can take on mental health first aid. I know I had to take them because I work in an inpatient psych unit, and It also counts towards your EMT and paramedic CEU.

800-273-8255 - Suicide Hotline
888-663-3239 - Addiction Hotline
800-931-2237 - Eating Disorder Hotline
800-334-4357 - Self Harm Hotline
800-656-4673 - National Assault Hotline
800-222-1222 - Poison Control Hotline
800-799-7233 - National Domestic Violence Hotline
877-565-8860 - Transgender Suicide Hotline
988 - Suicide and crisis hotline
Text VETS or CONNECT to 741741

Chat 988lifeline.org.

download.jpeg


Mental health First Aid. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

SAMHSA https://www.samhsa.gov/
 
E tank said:
Myth
Click to expand...
Tell that to the guy that got screwed for 10 months, then finally found a good job and left: he went from 48 hour shifts (1 trip a week, 2 hour drive) to M-Th 10 hour days and 8 hours Friday: because our Occ health doctor didn't like the medication that the VA put him on for his PTSD.
 
Great thread! I know it can be hard for many to seek help and assistance, so it is best to check in with each other and stay engaged! Thank you for the thread!
 
My company started a program last year called AirAnglers to help with mental health for those employees who need it or feel they would benefit from them.

They get supplies sent to their home to make flies and make fly fishing rods. Then they are send to our corporate headquarters in Denver for a multiple day fly fishing training trip with the focus being about mental health. It’s all completely free for the employees who need it. I’ve heard good things from people who have done it. We also have some type of a retreat that the company will send people to if they need it out in Texas that I have also heard good things about.
 
DrParasite said:
I saw the post from @NomadicMedic and his crew that had a really bad call... Many of us have had those really bad calls... if you haven't, you likely will sometime in the future. And saw the post from @ChrisMed1 about some of the mental health issues he was experiencing... and some older stuff that others have posted about over the past few years. And had one of my EMS academy-mates commit suicide shortly after graduating.

One of my former coworkers used to say "you need to be crazy to do this job," and knowing many of my coworkers, he's not entirely wrong; Mental health issues are all too common, and EMS workers are not exempt from experiencing them. But like many in the military, and other public safety areas, we get the added bonus of seeing stuff that many people wouldn't ever want to deal with. And like many, in our field, we ignore them and pretend they don't affect us, and our employer's management when it comes to crews who experience those seriously bad calls has, historically, been piss poor, especially when the system has calls holding. Thankfully, some places are making progress in that area due to better leadership, but it's still the rarity, not the norm.

As a result, I did want to share some resources, for anyone who might need them... or thinks they are the only person to ever go through this. It's a lot more common than many want to admit.

www.jems.com

It Is Not OK to Be Not OK

“We are in a war against death and disability,” writes Dr. Chris Caulkins.
www.jems.com www.jems.com

WRD_Breakthestigma_Black_1.jpg



and a few Jason Patton Videos
  • EMS Helpline – +1 (888)-731-FIRE (3473)
    • Service provided by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to prevent suicide and provide free resources, confidential support, and other tools to improve mental health.
  • Safe Call Now – +1 (206)-459-3020
    • Safe Call Now is an organization initially founded in the state of Washington, that extended its operation nationwide. Staffed by public safety professionals and former law enforcement officers, the organization provides simple and confidential way to ask for help for a wide range of issues. Safe Call Now works collectively with a variety of unions, public safety groups and various mental health and substance abuse professionals to support first responders and those in the line of trauma around the nation.
  • The Code Green Campaign
    • First responder oriented mental health advocacy and education organization. Also known as Code Green, they serve all types of first responders. This includes firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, police, corrections, air medical, and search & rescue. Their name is a combination of the color for mental health awareness (green) and the “code alerts” used in emergency services. If someone is having a stroke or heart attack first responders will call a “code stroke” or “code STEMI”. The idea is that Code Green is calling a code alert on the mental health of first responders.
Such resources are needed to be shared. Some time ago with https://studyhelper.com/argumentative-essay-samples I finished one paper, and it turned out that ther still a lot of cases of suicides because of mental health issues, so we need to share


First Responder Mental Health and Suicide: An Evidence-Based approach

EMS Update Newsletter - Fall 2021 - First Responder Mental Health and Suicide: An Evidence-Based Approach
www.ems.gov www.ems.gov


ncoae.org

Maintaining Resilience and Mental Health in the EMS Profession - National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education

The suicide rate among emergency medical service (EMS) professionals rose a shocking 38 percent since 2009, according to a study published in the Western
ncoae.org ncoae.org


www.jems.com

A Frontline Battle: The Mental Health Crisis in Emergency Medical Services

Taylor Shearer reviews mental health issues in EMS, its factors and offers suggestions on how to better manage mental well-being.
www.jems.com www.jems.com

How to Build Mental Health Resilience in EMS – EMS Week 2024

emsweek.org emsweek.org

and one thing about cancer
Click to expand...
That information and resources are so important to share
So many people who suffer from mental health issues are silent, and it's not good.
Some of them have no idea where to get help, some are just afraid, so sharing is caring
 
DrParasite said:
I saw the post from @NomadicMedic and his crew that had a really bad call... Many of us have had those really bad calls... if you haven't, you likely will sometime in the future. And saw the post from @ChrisMed1 about some of the mental health issues he was experiencing... and some older stuff that others have posted about over the past few years. And had one of my EMS academy-mates commit suicide shortly after graduating.

One of my former coworkers used to say "you need to be crazy to do this job," and knowing many of my coworkers, he's not entirely wrong; Mental health issues are all too common, and EMS workers are not exempt from experiencing them.
Click to expand...
The "crazy" ones who survive aren't crazy at all; they are just mentally healthy and resilient. That statement implies nothing negative all towards the majority of us who aren't very mentally resilient. It's just the world we live in now. We are all a product of our environment. What we used to view as normal is now (minimally) healthy. What we see as basically healthy 50 years ago seems superhumanly fit now, either physically or mentally. Imagine our current college population dealing with WW2 conditions. In the US, not even in Eastern Europe. That isn't a judgement, just a mental exercise.

Thankfully, it seems as though mental health is starting to come to the forefront of our collective consciousness as a serious and universal issue. Ideally, we would all approach mental health the same way we approach physical health. i.e. minimum annual checkups with a competent practitioner; potentially much more often depending on our individual needs.

Like every other aspect of health though, the issues are complex and despite all the slick soundbites and pie-in-the-sky research headlines, the true "fixes" are largely preventative, rather than curative. Almost always, too little too late.
 
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