Story At A Glance
- Nearly 8 percent of first responders admitted to recent thoughts of suicide in a new survey.
- The culture of first responder work often discourages seeking help.
- New programs are being launched to connect first responders with peers and professionals.
Brandi Joyner is a hero to the numerous people whose lives she’s helped save. A communications officer with the Henrico County Police Department in Virginia, Joyner is also a certified EMT-Intermediate who rescues others in need. Seen as a strong woman, no one knew that she was struggling.
“One evening I decided that I was going to take my life,” says Joyner. “But my best friend saved my life.”
It’s not an easy topic to talk about, but Joyner is sharing her story with “Changing America” hoping to remove the stigma that many first responders — such as police, fire and rescue, along with 911 dispatchers — need mental health support, because it’s sometimes hard to cope with the trauma and stress they often experience in their jobs.
Joyner is not alone.
In a new study released during the last quarter of this year — the 2019 Virginia Public Safety Mental Health Pilot Survey — nearly 8 percent of first responders participating in the questionnaire admitted to recent thoughts of suicide. Almost 5,000 first responders in Virginia completed the survey, which was initiated by the Fairfax County Police Department and included 25 other public safety agencies across the state. The survey states that by comparison, the estimated rate of suicidal thoughts in the general U.S. population is 3 percent. What concerns public safety leadership is that first responders are a “population that is presumably healthier than the general population at the beginning of their careers, because they are psychologically screened and selected.” The survey also revealed about a quarter of the respondents said they suffered from work-related depression.
“I believe support in the mental health aspect of the job is one of the most important things, if not the most important,” says Joyner. “Every day we devote our lives to being the superheroes for the citizens on what could be their worst days, but who is going to be our superheroes on our worst days?”
Seeking support isn’t easy, she says, because one may be “seen as weak or no longer trusted to do the job.” Emphasizing the need to change the mindset, Joyner says it’s important to end the stigma when people seek help to improve mental health.
Public safety leadership involved in the study agree, noting that the survey participants “have shown the courage to speak; now it is the responsibility of their agencies to respond.”
Key takeaways from the survey include:
- Being open about the toll that the job takes on first responders.
- Acknowledging that it’s “okay not to be okay” and being supportive when first responders seek help.
- Having prevention and wellness programs in place that can be used to mitigate some of the effects of the job, along with evidence-based treatment options for recovery.
“Look out for your brothers and sisters,” Joyner says. “When you notice something is different, say something.”
Virginia firefighter Steve Hagedorn agrees. He’s one of the organizers of a new peer support program at the Charlottesville Fire Department. “We offer an open mind, open ear and open heart and listen to these members,” Hagedorn says. “Someone on the peer support group is by no means a clinician, but…we will be able to assist the members in getting in touch with the help they need,” he explains.
Trauma and depression are very treatable if you use the correct methods, according to Colby Mills, a clinical psychologist with the Fairfax County Police Department. “We have the responsibility to give them the treatment that works,” says Mills, about caring for the first responders. “It’s important to get the right kind of treatment.”
In an interview with Changing America, Mills says he uses two forms of psychotherapy:
- Prolonged Exposure— which treats those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by gradually approaching trauma-related memories and situations they’ve been avoiding. “It’s effective; it helps people to regain control,” says Mills.
- Cognitive Processing Therapy—which teaches clients how to evaluate an upsetting thought and “replace it with a thought that helps you navigate the world more effectively,” according to Mills.
First responders should not “tough it out” on their own. Help is available, Mills emphasizes. This aligns with the conclusion of the 2019 Virginia Public Safety Mental Health Pilot Survey, which offers hope: “When first responders sustain psychological injuries and illness during their careers, the effects need not be permanent or fatal. Prevention, early detection, and appropriate treatment can ease suffering and save lives.”
A follow-up survey to include more respondents is being planned to see if the recommendations from the first survey are successfully making a positive difference.
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