Finding The Right Place To Take The First Step For Trauma Or Ptsd Treatment For First Responders
Deciding to reach out for help with ones trauma or PTSD is a huge step. However, it can also be a hurdle. First responder PTSD treatment and first responder trauma are very unique and may require a specialized approach. When looking at programs that may help someone suffering from PTSD or trauma, it is important to also look for programs that may be catered specifically to first responders. This can provide several advantages for someone as they continue to move through the healing process.
Finding a place that caters specifically towards first responders, such as Chateau Recovery, means that you will be with like-minded peers who share the experience of being a first responder and can understand the unique, occupation-specific trials that someone may have to overcome. Being surrounded by people who share in this unique kind of trauma or PTSD can allow someone to see that they are never alone in their struggles. Seeing how universal this kind of trauma is for those in the field can continue to normalize discussions surrounding the need for mental health, trauma, and PTSD care for first responders.
First Responders & Response To Trauma
In a survey that explored how they manage traumas, many first responders report that they are expected to minimize the impact of traumatic exposures in their professional and personal lives. To that end, they may resort to substance use or high-risk behavior.5
Like many other people, first responders are often reluctant to report that they are facing mental health issues and seek treatment. This often happens for the fear of being stigmatized, especially in their working community, where the norm is to be heroic, strong, and able to bear more than other people.
Other Distinctive Benefits Of The Shatterproof Fhe Health Program
As dedicated public servants, first responders are often the last to ask for help for themselves. This strong ethic of self-sacrifice can even cause some first responders to think that it is a sign of weakness to ask for help especially when their problem is mental health-related.
At FHE Health, we understand these dynamics and want to support you every step of the way in getting the specialized treatment you both need and deserve without endangering your job. To that end, we have created an admissions process that is discrete and confidential, with the guarantee that your employer wont have to find out.
We also have the ability to work with unions to protect your job, thanks to an in-house expert who works closely with first responder unions.
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How Cbt Can Help In Treating Trauma In First Responders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs in some individuals when traumatic events in their lives cause mental health issues. It is particularly common in first responders because these professionals are likely to witness traumatic events as part of their everyday job duties. In fact, an estimated 30 percent of first responders experience behavioral health issues.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one type of treatment that is often effective at helping resolve PTSD in professionals like EMTs, firefighters, and police officers. Itâs important that first responders and their loved ones are informed about what PTSD and CBT are. PTSD can cause those exposed to trauma to struggle in both their professional and personal lives. For this reason, itâs important for a professional working as a first responder to be able to recognize this condition and to understand what types of treatment are used for it.
What Can I Expect From The Biometric Telehealth Program
The immersive biometric telehealth program for first responders with PTSD is designed to provide treatment conveniently and privately. If you are unable to attend the program in clinic, you can access our expert team of clinicians, irrespective of your geographical location.
The Institutes of Health is an industry leader in Immersive Biometric Telehealth. We offer a full range of telehealth services including comprehensive chronic pain rehabilitation, medication management, treatment for brain injuries, sleep problems and neuropsychological evaluations. Talk to us today to learn more about our Biometric Telehealth platform for PTSD.
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Ehn Canada Provides Integrated Programs For Treating Concurrent Addiction And Post
As previously mentioned, individuals with PTSD are more likely to develop addiction or substance use disorders. The distressing and disorienting nature of PTSD can make addiction recovery much more difficult and, similarly, the cognitive and emotional impairment that result from addiction can make it much more difficult to recover from PTSD. For these reasons, we believe that an integrated treatment program that addresses the PTSD and the addiction together, at the same time, is the best approach. Our experience supports this belief, as we have found that integrated addiction and PTSD treatment programs produce much better outcomes for patients compared to programs that attempt to treat the disorders separately.
Changes In Physical And Emotional Reactions
First responders with PTSD may also experience changes in physical and emotional reactions. They may feel more irritable, have angry outbursts, and start behaving recklessly or self-destructively. These signs and symptoms can be difficult for loved ones to watch, so engaging in first responders addiction treatment and PTSD programs are essential.11
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Why Do First Responders Have Ptsd
First responder jobs are characterized by serious threats to personal safety, long working hours, frequent and long shifts, poor sleep, and physical hardships.1 In addition, emergency interventions may involve witnessing severe injuries in people, seeing dead bodies or body parts, or experiencing the loss of colleagues. Despite being a part of the job, these factors can be quite traumatic for an individual.
Similarly to army veterans experiencing trauma, first responders are at a 30% risk to develop conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. This likelihood is higher compared to the general population, where this rate is 20%.2
The psychological consequences of traumatic events are sometimes not immediate. Many individuals do develop PTSD symptoms within 3 months of the trauma, but symptoms may also appear later and often persist for months and sometimes years.3
Substance abuse is one of the responses to the trauma, which is the reason why these professionals often need and receive special attention in substance abuse prevention and treatment, and why substance abuse treatment and PTSD treatment for first responders often go hand in hand.1
Caring For Our Heroes: Ptsd Treatment For First Responders
Posted in Trauma, Grief & Loss and with tags: PTSD/Trauma, first responder
Stories about first responders tend to lack nuance. Of course, their heroics are often enough of a tale. But we seem to forget that were not talking about big-screen superheroes. They are human beings with human emotions. With that in mind, take a moment to ponder what its like to be the ones running toward a crisis. What kind of emotional toll can such a career take?
First responders bear witness to traumatic events practically on a daily basis. Traumatic events can negatively impact us, whether we are the victim or the witness. Either way, it can result in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder .
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Treating Trauma And Ptsd In First Responders
Many first responders may not seek help due to fear of the stigma tied to mental health and the concern of being discriminated against or judged. “There really is a stigma that creates the barrier for self-care and the willingness to seek care,” says Kessler.
In addition, some first responders may feel guilty for practicing self-care or taking care of themselves. But even and especially our helpers need help.
it’s crucial to help first responders understand that they are not alone, and what they are experiencing is normal. Trauma treatment can include cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing psychotherapy, meditation, stress management, and psychodrama work.
These can help first responders identify their thoughts, emotions and behaviors and change certain responses they may have in various situations. Treatment can also help first responders relax, reprocess traumatic events, and reduce the emotional distress they might feel.
A strong support system is also invaluable. An accountability partnerwhether it’s a fellow first responder or a close friend or family member at homecan encourage them to open up about what they’re seeing and how they’re feeling. First responders need someone to go to and a way to manage stress before, during, and after the events occur, says Kessler.
We Can Still Help You Even If You Dont Have A Ptsd Diagnosis
If you are a first responder and you have made a successful workers compensation claim for chronic mental stress, you may be eligible for one of our addiction and trauma treatment programs even if you do not have a diagnosis of PTSD. Alternatively, one of our other treatment programs may better serve your needs. Please contact us for more information.
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Ptsd Is Caused By Exposure To Trauma
PTSD is caused by an experience, or threat, of severe trauma such as death, serious injury, or sexual violence. PTSD can also be caused by indirect exposure to severe trauma, such as when a person witnesses it happening to someone else, finds out that it happened to someone close to them, or learns the details of a traumatic event.
Ways To Help First Responders Prevent Ptsd
Choosing a career as a first responder brings with it plenty of responsibility. The first responder experiences many rewarding moments. However, they also face non-stop challenges. They put themselves at risk while regularly witnessing severe human suffering.
The decisions they make often qualify as life-and-death.
All of this increases their chances of experiencing trauma.
Fortunately, there are steps a first responder can take to help prevent Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from developing. It requires diligence and commitment, but these heroes can find the balance they need to help othersand themselves.
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Biometric Telehealth: A Holistic Approach To Ptsd Treatment
At Institutes of Health, we use a state-of-the-art Biometric Telehealth platform to recreate what we do in our brick and mortar clinic. Our treatment approach to PTSD is based on an evidence-based, interdisciplinary biopsychosocial model. This model addresses the underlying mechanisms that produce the symptoms of PTSD. It is a multi-pronged approach that gives first responders with PTSD the best chance of recovery, stay-at-work and/or return to work.
Ptsd Risk For Firefighters Police Ems Veterans And Others
Firefighters, police, EMS, veterans, and other first responders are at high risk of experiencing trauma. And ongoing experience of trauma can lead to developing behavioral health issues. Mental health and wellness issues that can be caused by repeated trauma include anxiety, depression, burnout, PTSD, functional alcoholism and addiction.
Taking care of mental health is as important as managing physical health. Although in many cases there may still be a stigma attached to seeking help.
However, the sooner emergency personnel receive treatment after a traumatic event health impacts are noticed the better the outcome.
There is no need to suffer in silence for months before seeking help and treatment.
The traumatized individual not only experiences impacts to their own health and wellness. Significant others, friends and family are also affected by PTSD and self-medicatingsubstance abuse.
A high quality dual diagnosis addiction and trauma treatment program equips clients with techniques, strategies and the support needed to cope with trauma and stress on a daily basis. And assists in developing healthier ways of handling trauma moving forward.
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Renaissance Recovery Supporting First Responders
If you are a first responder struggling with the symptoms of PTSD, the hardest part is reaching out for help in the first place.
All you need to do is reach out to Renaissance Recoverys California rehab, though, and well help you through this and back to robust mental health.
Our PTSD treatment programs are tailored to meet your needs as a first responder, and with our outpatient programming, you can easily kickstart your recovery around your demanding commitments. If you need more support and more time commitment. To get started, just call the friendly team at our addiction hotline at 866.330.9449.
How Treatment Can Help You
If youre a first responder with PTSD, depression and/or a co-occurring substance use disorderwhatever the mental health conditionyou need to know that recovery is possible when you prioritize your health and pursue high-quality care. A trusted first responder mental health program, one that tailors its treatment interventions to your specialized needs, will maximize your prospects of a full and permanent recovery.
Not every facility has a first responder mental health program. Those that do may or may not tailor their treatments to first responders individual needs. Truly specialized treatment programs for first responders align their therapeutic interventions with the unique culture, code, and values of first responders, as well as the unique nature of emergency responders stressors and experiences. These distinctive factors mean first responders also have their own unique mental, emotional and behavioral symptoms and triggers, which are best processed with a first responder therapist .
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Why Do First Responders Need Specialized Help
First responders, like police officers and emergency medical technicians, face countless traumatic situations each and every day. From witnessing someone dying in front of them to rescuing someone from a burning building, these experiences can leave lasting mental and emotional scars that can make it difficult for first responders to recover even after they have left the job behind.
PTSD treatment for first responders is very commonly necessary. This type of mental health disorder occurs when a person sees disturbing images and experiences high-stress levels. Something in the brain creates a change, and you feel like you can see that same image over and over again. It disturbed you so much those scenes can come back time and time again. When they do, you experience high amounts of anxiety, deep depression, and fear. This limits your overall ability to get through the day. Many times, without PTSD treatment for first responders, they will end up facing complications. This could include limiting your ability to do your job and for others, turning to drug and alcohol use because it helps to settle those uneasy thoughts. For most people facing this type of addiction, one thing is clear it limits your quality of life.
Emts Behavioral Health And Drug Abuse
A huge risk factor for first responders is the sheer pace of their work. Because an emergency or accident can happen at any time, emergency medical services personnel have to be on call and ready to respond. In fact, one study found that nearly 69% of all emergency medical services professionals never had enough time between the traumatic events they witnessed during their line of work. As a result, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideations, depression, and substance use disorders have been reported.2
Depression is a common condition reported by first responders. In fact, one study found that about 6.8% of EMS and EMT workers were diagnosed with depression. Further, stress and post-traumatic stress symptoms are commonly seen. As for suicidal ideations, there isnt much literature that looks into symptoms of suicide.3 However, some findings have shown a lifetime prevalence of 28% of emergency medical services professionals feeling as though their life is not worth living.4
Substance abuse disorders are prevalent among EMTs. In one study, it was found that nearly 40% of all EMTs and paramedics had experienced problems with alcohol and drug addictions.5 Because this prevalence is so high, first responder treatment is an important resource that everyone should access.
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We Treat The Whole Person: Body Mind And Spirit
Our whole person dual diagnosis treatment programs make use of evidence based therapy that has been researched academically and/or scientifically and have been proven effective. We use the Conscious Recovery program as well as holistic addiction recovery treatments.
Our evidence-based treatment includes a combination of:
Our evidence-based and trauma-informed treatment includes a combination of:
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Each patient is evaluated by New Start Recovery Solutions staff and receives a biopsychosocial assessment and an individualized treatment plan.
We use Mindfulness Relapse Prevention and other whole person evidence-based therapies including CBT, DBT, yoga, tai chi and more.
If you or your loved one is located in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Bay Area, Sacramento, Chico, Paradise, Redding, Martinez or other Northern California area and are dealing with a drug abuse or an alcohol use disorder welcome to evidence-based whole person addiction treatment at New Start Recovery Solutions.
Please call our Admissions for more information, or feel welcome to Contact Us.
We thank all the essential workers that continue to assist in these times!We recognize the importance of continuing to serve our clients.
Risk Factors For Developing Ptsd
Several non-occupational and occupation-specific risk factors may increase the likelihood of developing PTSD subsequent to traumatic stress exposure in LEOs, EMT/paramedics, and FFs. Non-occupational risk factors can be organized into three categories: historical, peritraumatic, and posttraumatic.2934 Historical risk factors include family history of psychiatric disorders, intelligence, education, early conduct problems, childhood adversity, and childhood abuse.35,36
Peritraumatic risk factors include severity of the traumatic event, perception of the trauma as life threatening, actual physical injury or assault, dissociation during the event, and magnitude of the dissociative response.3033,37 Posttraumatic risk factors include the absence of social support, poor access to healthy coping skills, limited access to mental health resources, and other life stressors.9,32,34
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