Another distinguished Australian mental health facility is calling for increased resourcing to support first responders.
Mental health support group Beyondblue has revealed one in 10 working first responders have symptoms suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
More than 20,000 current and former police and emergency services workers from across Australia were surveyed in a world-first released on Wednesday, and mental health facility The Black Dog Institute has found the findings consistent with its own research.
The report also found that one in three employees experience high or very high psychological distress, compared to just over one in eight among all adults in Australia.
Employees and volunteers reported having suicidal thoughts over two times higher than adults in the general population.
The Black Dog Institute had also found around one in twenty volunteer first-responders experienced PTSD, with even higher rates among retired emergency services workers.
Black Dog Institute’s Associate Professor Samuel Harvey congratulated Beyondblue for the extensive survey.
“We know there is a major problem with the mental health of first responders, which is supported by data from a range of different studies, requiring a collaborative effort to develop evidence-based solutions,” he said.
Over the past six years, The Black Dog Institute has worked with first-responder agencies in the state to develop and test a range of mental health programs, aimed at reducing the mental health impact of emergency services work.
“We have found that simple interventions can create significant improvements in the mental health and wellbeing of emergency services workers," he said.
"For example making sure all managers have mental health training can translate into better outcomes for first responders," Professor Harvey said.
“We have also been developing and testing new types of mental health and resilience training in the hope of preventing problems before they develop.”
Both organisations said the high rate of mental health issues in emergency services workers reinforces the need for new, evidence-based and industry-wide mental health monitoring systems to effectively detect, intervene and treat mental health conditions.
The Black Dog Institute is calling for NSW Government funding to develop a world-first independent mental health monitoring service, with a large-scale trial involving thousands of emergency services workers in the state.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or Headspace on 1800 650 890.
