Psychological Trauma: The Silent Stalker

Having been in EMS for more than two decades, I—like many of you—have grown up in an ambulance. The difference between me and you—or maybe not—is that the monster, called suicide, stalked and killed my wife, brother and 10 of my EMS colleagues. Psychological trauma can be fatal and EMS would do well to realize it. It should come as no surprise that we in EMS are routinely exposed to stress and psychological trauma significantly more than the general public.1 Psychological Disorders One-fourth of U.S. adults are diagnosed with a mental illness,2 while it’s estimated that 50% have a mental illness, but have not been—or will not be—diagnosed.3 I have been diagnosed with, and have been successfully treated for, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. Given that anywhere from 4.34–30% of paramedics—depending on which study you read—have developed PTSD, I’m far from alone.4–12 In comparison, 8.7% of the U.S. population has a diagnosis of PTSD.13 Depression and anxiety are also frequently associated with PTSD. Researchers who surveyed 34,340 EMS providers, discovered roughly 6% of us are experiencing mild to extreme depression, anxiety and stress.14 Unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder is diagnosed when a person meets some, but not all, criteria for PTSD that exerts a negative effect on their life. Acute stress disorder may happen shortly after a trauma and last up to a month, after which time PTSD is diagnosed.13 Many respon...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Exclusive Articles Resiliency Operations Source Type: news