First responders - PTSD

[dmcdam]

Re: First responders - PTSD

While not a physician, the prescribing of drugs is often to help manage the symptoms and sequelae that develop with PTSD such as panic attacks , anxiety disorders, depression, sleep deprivation etc. The cumulative effects of which can make day to day functioning difficult.

substance abuse, eating disorders, social anxiety disorders like agoraphobia can all develop in individuals with PTSD especially if left undiagnosed/untreated too long

Not according to spazz but I understand their appropriate uses. Like Michael said above - its a huge leap to go from overprescribing to denying the existence of mental illness.

[LobWedge]

Re: First responders - PTSD

Not according to spazz but I understand their appropriate uses. Like Michael said above - its a huge leap to go from overprescribing to denying the existence of mental illness.

How can it not be mental illness? There's only so much the human brain can take when it's exposed to that much pain and suffering on a steady basis. It takes a special kind of person to run towards danger, and not away from it. They have my undying respect.

[Tanner]

Re: First responders - PTSD

I was diagnosed with PTSD after experiencing a few railway accidents. I can tell you that mental illness is very real. it is also very manageable. I'm fortunate to have had the help of some excellent physicians and an amazing fiance. some however are not as lucky. I can talk pretty openly about it now thanks to people like Clara Hughes that share their struggles, but it used to be something I was very ashamed of.

Im just a railroader but there are lots of us that experience some tragic events in our line of work. However none of it compares to what emergency responders experience on a daily basis. it takes a special kind of person to do that job(EMT's,fire and police). I think we have made great strides in recent years in creating programs to help our military personnel and the emergency responders, but so much more could still be done. We are fortunate that there are people who can get up everyday and go to work in those environments so that we dont have to. god bless them.

Another tragic story- http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...?device=mobile

[4wedges]

Re: First responders - PTSD

While some in the medical field may be too willing to prescribe drugs to deal with a wide range of perceived mental problems, it is silly to claim that mental illness does not exist.

Agreed. However you are being too kind, using the term silly. To say it doesn't exist is beyond reasonable comprehension. It is an insult.

[SingleWalking]

Re: First responders - PTSD

I heard a lot about it when my sons were born at 6 months gestation. Evidently it's quite common for parents with kids in the NICU to develop PTSD. We lost one boy after 6 days, and it was life and death for our other boy for about 3-4 months, and a full 6.5 months before we could bring him home. The social workers and psychologist at the hospital were able to make me aware of what to look out for and I spent some time doing counselling while at the hospital. I was never diagnosed with PTSD but I saw how easily one could end up there.

Now that you mentioned it......

My son (now 8) nearly became a premature baby or stillborn when my wife placenta previa started to bleed in week 25 of the pregnancy. She ended up hospitalized for 10 weeks, thanks to a very good Oby/Gyn. Every week there were some bleeding episodes that might required the baby to come out. What we were told is if the baby was before 32 week gestation, the NICU will be needed and we may have to go outside of Toronto! Every phone call from the wife makes us all wonder whether that was it! When it comes to nice ending at 36 week when he was delivered by c-section, I cannot describe the relief I felt. Its something that I want no one to experience.

For months after that I have certain strange emotion that brought tears, even now and then these days if I think about it too much. (like now) I never asked for help and my father (the retired surgeon) understood what it is. Hold the son, doing diapers, and bathing him every day certainly helped the healing process. I have to say I love him more than anyone else I know, and he knows that.

[mpare]

Re: First responders - PTSD

You're right. I was being too kind, a kindness that was undeserved.

Agreed. However you are being too kind, using the term silly. To say it doesn't exist is beyond reasonable comprehension. It is an insult.

[On_Plane]

Re: First responders - PTSD

If you were to tell a first responder that mental illness doesn't really exist, they would still do everything they can to save your life or protect you from danger.

[spazzdla]

Re: First responders - PTSD

While some in the medical field may be too willing to prescribe drugs to deal with a wide range of perceived mental problems, it is silly to claim that mental illness does not exist.

I jumped on that idea train way to quickly. I've just seen my current roommate thrown on drugs for an attempt at his life, no one wants to do anything else but drug him to help him and it really bothered me. My brother was also put on Ritalin for "ADD" like half of his class :S(This was years ago). I saw this video and it just set me off. Should of done some more thinking first, I do not control my emotional responses as I would like to, perhaps in time I can get much better at it.

[dmcdam]

Re: First responders - PTSD

I jumped on that idea train way to quickly. I've just seen my current roommate thrown on drugs for an attempt at his life, no one wants to do anything else but drug him to help him and it really bothered me. My brother was also put on Ritalin for "ADD" like half of his class :S(This was years ago). I saw this video and it just set me off. Should of done some more thinking first, I do not control my emotional responses as I would like to, perhaps in time I can get much better at it.

Glad you came back to clear that up. The guy that made the vid you posted is actively working to reverse all the good work that's been done to shed more light on mental illness and remove the stigma so people can seek proper help. Why he's doing it I have no idea.

[On_Plane]

Re: First responders - PTSD

I jumped on that idea train way to quickly. I've just seen my current roommate thrown on drugs for an attempt at his life, no one wants to do anything else but drug him to help him and it really bothered me. My brother was also put on Ritalin for "ADD" like half of his class :S(This was years ago). I saw this video and it just set me off. Should of done some more thinking first, I do not control my emotional responses as I would like to, perhaps in time I can get much better at it.

I commend you for the above response. Most would bury their feet in the dirt and continue battling. Sorry to hear about your experiences in the past.

I have a similar experience with prescriptions that were given to my Mother after my Father passed a few years ago. She gained weight, slept 18 hours a day for months and had serious struggles with her day-to-day responsibilities (cleanliness, yard work, bills, laundry, dishes, cooking). She spent about six months like that until she stopped taking the prescriptions. A short time after she stopped taking her meds, she claimed to feel "like a new person".

Maybe she would have never felt that way if she didn't take the drugs to begin with? Maybe she just needed some tough love? Either way, I have felt the same way with people being over-medicated as opposed to another solution.

[mpare]

Re: First responders - PTSD

This saddening news item about the suicide of one of the RCMP officers who was first on the scene after a Greyhound passenger was beheaded by Vince Li is a telling reminder, not that it's needed, of the toll that this type of work takes on first responders It does neither the first responder, nor the public, any good to diminish the reality of those injuries to the psyche.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/17/six-years-after-vince-li-beheaded-a-greyhound-passenger-another-death-mountie-at-the-scene-commits-suicide/

[mpare]

Re: First responders - PTSD

You are an honourable man.

I jumped on that idea train way to quickly. I've just seen my current roommate thrown on drugs for an attempt at his life, no one wants to do anything else but drug him to help him and it really bothered me. My brother was also put on Ritalin for "ADD" like half of his class :S(This was years ago). I saw this video and it just set me off. Should of done some more thinking first, I do not control my emotional responses as I would like to, perhaps in time I can get much better at it.

[mpare]

Re: First responders - PTSD

One of the challenges that first responder organizations face is that their memberships appear to be composed of men and women who see themselves as physically, psychologically and emotionally strong and self-reliant. While that is a good thing in most cases, it may inhibit a desire to seek out treatment. My experience suggests that these individuals would be more likely than not to resist counseling in the face of PTSD, lest they be seen by themselves and by their associates as "weak." This is a real problem that is not easily overcome, though compulsory post-event treatment is a step in the right direction.

[bl8d]

Re: First responders - PTSD

While very very few come away unscathed many are able to function by vaulting or compartmentalizing.
My grandfather served in WWI, my father in WWII and my son is still involved. I don't remember my grandfather or father saying much about their time. What I know is from what my mother told me about them, including her own experiences and involvement shortly before she passed on.
It is amazing that so many came out sane enough to raise families.

the point I really wanted to make is that physical disabilities are easily recognized because they are "in your face". Now for the first time mental ilness is recognized and accepted for the debilitating disease it is. it is being outed and talked about and the problems that come with it if ignored and left untreated.

[mpare]

Re: First responders - PTSD

I know of what you speak. Dad fought in the South Pacific. It was gruesome, and yet he managed to distance himself, though not completely, from the experience. He very rarely spoke of his time there, and then very guardedly. Nevertheless, he and his comrades, many of whom I knew, were able to hold down jobs, raise families and contribute to their communities. As my sister said of him at his funeral, he was a very uncommon, common man. Much the same could have been said of the others who fought by his side.

While very very few come away unscathed many are able to function by vaulting or compartmentalizing.
My grandfather served in WWI, my father in WWII and my son is still involved. I don't remember my grandfather or father saying much about their time. What I know is from what my mother told me about them, including her own experiences and involvement shortly before she passed on.
It is amazing that so many came out sane enough to raise families.