A recent article published by American Addiction Centers discusses the importance of providing the right treatment for the mental wellbeing of firefighters and other first responders. One of the key points being that maintaining an optimum level of mental wellbeing is a crucial part of keeping them in active duty and making sure that they are effective on the job. Constant exposure to traumatic experiences, life-threatening situations, and long working hours can build up and take a negative toll on the mental health of first responders. This can lead to an increased risk of depression, PTSD, suicide, and substance abuse issues.
Creating and working within a set of best practices for mental health treatment options is key to helping first responders keep their mental health in check, allowing them to remain both active and effective on the job and when at home with their families. While there are many negative aspects of working as a first responder, there are also many positive ones and it is important to use these to help balance out the more difficult aspect.
Read the entire article HERE.