Title: Mental Health and First Responders: How Their Jobs Can Cause More than Just Stress - The American Institute of Stress
Headings: Mental Health and First Responders: How Their Jobs Can Cause More than Just Stress
Mental Health and First Responders: How Their Jobs Can Cause More than Just Stress
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Content: However, there are a lot of social and cultural barriers that postpone or discourage them from getting the help they need. Stigma is a significant issue for those living with mental illness in the United States. For example, only 24.6 percent of participants who were living with mental health symptoms thought that people would care about their struggle. However, this same study found that 57.3 percent of respondents who were not struggling with mental health symptoms believed that people were sympathetic to the issue. Therefore, those with mental health issues mistakenly underestimate the overall sympathetic nature of the general population. Most importantly, though, the cultural stigma behind mental health stems from the false idea that a person’s mental health struggles are a sign of weakness and are unimportant. This, of course, is far from the truth. Things Are Changing
There have been an upsurge in prevention and education efforts across many support organizations for active firefighters and first responders as well as retired veterans. This includes organizations like the National Fire Protection Association which has helped to increase awareness of how common mental health problems are among first responders and firefighters. The fact of the matter is this: