trauma

Public safety personnel are at an increased risk for stress related issues, including PTSD. While PTSD is linked to trauma exposure, not everyone who experiences or is exposed to trauma will have symptoms severe enough to warrant a diagnosis of PTSD. Often times, however, public safety personnel may instead experience chronic stress in response to repeated trauma exposure.

The IAFF recently published an article distinguishing Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Click here to read the entire article!

In a recent white paper published by Ruderman Family Foundation (Heyman, Dill, & Douglas, 2018), it was revealed that firefighters and police officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.The research paper provides statistics for firefighter and police suicides within the past year in comparison to line of duty deaths for each population. More specificially, the paper focuses on trauma exposure and some common resulting consequences, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide, if left untreated.

We’ve all heard the word “mindfulness” being thrown around lately as if it’s a new trend. The truth is, the practice of mindfulness has been around for quite some time! Traditionally and historically practiced in Western cultures, the practice of mindfulness has been shown to have numerous benefits. Mindfulness, depending on who you ask, can have several meanings. However, at the most basic level, the concept of mindfulness simply means intentionally and purposefully paying attention to the present moment without judgment (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, as cited in Williams, 2017).