Tag: difficulty sleeping

Don’t Drink to Get Over a Bad Call

• Frontline
• Categories: First Responders
• Tags: Aversion to situations, Bad Call, chronic stress, Cumulative Stress, dealing with ptsd, depression, diagnosed with PTSD, difficulty sleeping, Firefighter, Firefighter ptsd, first responder ptsd, first responders, Flashbacks, Frontline, Frontline Responder Services, Mark Lamplugh, post traumatic stress disorder, Sprout Health Group, substance abuse, treatment for ptsd
• January 2, 2017

We all have had rough shifts. Maybe it was only one call. Alternatively, perhaps you have had months of nothing but the worst. Maybe you are looking back over a career full of bad calls. As a firefighter, it is your job to step in and help people in situations that might be the worst moment in their life. However, what happens when the call is over, and your shift is done? You can’t just drop the images alongside your boots and walk away. Deciding how to process those tough calls can make or break you. Not all Kitty Cats ... Read more

The Damage from Organizational and Administrative Stress

• John Becker
• Categories: First Responders
• Tags: American Psychiatric Association, chronic stress, Compassion Fatigue, Cumulative Stress, dealing with ptsd, depression, diagnosed with PTSD, difficulty sleeping, first responder ptsd, Frontline, Frontline Responder Services, gastric ulcers, Law Enforcement mental health, Law Enforcement officers, law enforcement stress, police mental health, Police stress, post traumatic stress disorder, practice self-care, PTSD, ptsd trigger, seeking help, Three Kinds of Stress, treatment for ptsd, type of stress, vicarious traumatization
• December 28, 2016

Do you remember your first job? I am willing to say you probably encountered situations and people that made you say, “If I ever am the boss one day, I will be sure NOT to do that!”. We all have experienced positive and negative work environments. One of the most common complaints is that once a person gets promoted, they forget what it is like to be on the lower rung. In any business, stress can become the everyday norm when the overall tone of an organization is dysfunctional. Of course, this leads to additional stress and discontent across all ... Read more

Working As A Firefighter With PTSD

• Frontline
• Categories: First Responders
• Tags: behavioral disorder, chronic stress, Cumulative Stress, dealing with ptsd, depression, diagnosed with PTSD, difficulty sleeping, Firefighter, Firefighter ptsd, firefighter trauma, first responder ptsd, first responders, Flashbacks, Frontline, Frontline Responder Services, gastric ulcers, increased heart rate, Mark Lamplugh, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, ptsd trigger, research on ptsd, seeking help, substance abuse, traumatic event, treatment for ptsd, type of stress
• December 14, 2016

Working As a Firefigher With PTSD –  Smoke in the air.  The blaring alarm.  Every firefighter knows the rush of emotions that fill the heart when it’s time to roll.  Excitement.  Anticipation.  Fear.  Is this the Big One?  Is today the day my number’s up? However, in the gung-ho fire environment, too often the feelings that haunt us are pushed down to the bottom.  Nobody wants to look weak in front of his or her teammates.  Nobody wants to be “that Guy”.  So we repress, force a grim smile, and get back to work.  The things we’ve seen stay with ... Read more

9-1-1: The Dispatcher Is in Distress

• Frontline
• Categories: First Responders
• Tags: • Constant anxious state, Change in sex drive, chronic stress, Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, Cumulative Stress, dealing with ptsd, depression, diabetes, diagnosed with PTSD, difficulty sleeping, Dispatching emergency teams, first responder ptsd, Flashbacks, Frontline, Frontline Responder Services, gastric ulcers, hypertension, impact of stress, increased heart rate, Indirect Stress, Journal of Traumatic Stress, Mayo Clinic, migraines, Muscle tension or pain, National Traumatic Stress Network (NTSN), practice self-care, PTSD and severe stress, rontline dispatchers, Secondary Trauma, Signs and Symptoms of Stress, Signs and symptoms of trauma, substance abuse, Three Kinds of Stress, traumatic event, type of stress, vicarious traumatization, weight gain
• November 7, 2016

9-1-1: The Dispatcher Is in Distress Every 9-1-1 call begins exactly the same. The dispatcher answers the call and calmly asks what the emergency is. The response from the caller is usually a frantic, distraught voice of someone who needs help right away. For the length of the call, the emergency dispatcher is the voice of calm that assists the caller in managing the crisis until help arrives. Behind the soothing voice, adrenalin is pumping full force, as the dispatcher struggles to find the balance between hope and fear. A 2014 report by the Office of the Auditor in the ... Read more