By Allison G. S. Knox, M.A., EMT-B, faculty member at American Military University
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has received a lot of public attention in recent years as American service members returned from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The struggles of these military personnel returning with PTSD have shed light on the issues and challenges of this often debilitating disorder. It is nothing short of a terrible illness for the ways it hijacks the lives of individuals.
In recognition of National EMS Week from May 15 to 21, it is important to understand how PTSD affects emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, and other members of the first responder community.
[Related: Today, Tomorrow, or Next Year? Coping with PTSD in EMS]
Responding to emergency medical calls can be traumatic; individuals working in such an environment are often profoundly affected by it. But what is often misunderstood is that even scenes that are not particularly gruesome can also have a lasting effect on responders.
Full story: National EMS Week: Budgeting for PTSD
