Post Traumatic Stress Disorders Case Study
What I found to be most interesting is First responders and rescue workers who race to crime scenes are exposed to emergencies and trauma on such a routine basis, they can also be considered secondary or indirect victims who periodically might need emotional support themselves (Karmen, 2013).
When the general public or media highlight victims, usually a police officer or emergency responder is not who is mentioned. No one ever thinks of someone in emergency services to be a victim of anything. They are the strong, not the weak. They are to help and care for others. They do not need to be taken care of. However, police officers encounter frequent exposure to unpredictable incidents that pose a threat to their life or the physical integrity. These events can lead to the development of acute stress disorder (ASD) or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Marchand, Nadeau, Beaulieu-Prevost, Boyer and Martin, 2015).
Police officers and first responders see so many things in a given day that the general public can not even fathom. From abused children, abused spouses, drug overdoses, animal cruelty, officer involved shootings, stabbings, shootings, mass killings and homicides just to name a few. What is the coping mechanism for these responders? They can talk amongst themselves and some will try and find humor in the worst situations. They can’t relay …show more content…
When counseling is utilized, the counselor has to look at the different options depending on what type of first responder they are going to treat. Police, firefighters, paramedics and health care personnel have differing skill sets, differing critical incident policies and procedures that need to be accounted for (Flannery, 2015). The treatment that may work for one first responder may not work for the other. Each has to be counseled differently based upon their needs and
When the general public or media highlight victims, usually a police officer or emergency responder is not who is mentioned. No one ever thinks of someone in emergency services to be a victim of anything. They are the strong, not the weak. They are to help and care for others. They do not need to be taken care of. However, police officers encounter frequent exposure to unpredictable incidents that pose a threat to their life or the physical integrity. These events can lead to the development of acute stress disorder (ASD) or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Marchand, Nadeau, Beaulieu-Prevost, Boyer and Martin, 2015).
Police officers and first responders see so many things in a given day that the general public can not even fathom. From abused children, abused spouses, drug overdoses, animal cruelty, officer involved shootings, stabbings, shootings, mass killings and homicides just to name a few. What is the coping mechanism for these responders? They can talk amongst themselves and some will try and find humor in the worst situations. They can’t relay …show more content…
When counseling is utilized, the counselor has to look at the different options depending on what type of first responder they are going to treat. Police, firefighters, paramedics and health care personnel have differing skill sets, differing critical incident policies and procedures that need to be accounted for (Flannery, 2015). The treatment that may work for one first responder may not work for the other. Each has to be counseled differently based upon their needs and