Why Does Depression and PTSD Still Have To Be A Dark Secret?

As I wake to the news of Washington State University QB dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound this morning. Less than 2 weeks ago he was at the top of his game playing in the Holiday Bowl on national television.

What do you think? We are in 2018 now and have been dealing with Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for decades now in all of our uniformed services! And I mean all this isn’t limited to the Military, or Fire, EMS, or Law Enforcement, it’s a wide-spread epidemic and for the most part, there is very little help!

Do you know that there are OVER 123 suicides per day, white males account for 7 out of 10 suicides, 22 military veterans commit suicide EVER day due to PTSD? How about a first responder takes his or her life EVERY 1.5 days??

But many people and First Responders are being forced out of their careers or livelihoods because employers have no clue how to handle it or choose the path of least resistance and find a way to “find that employee, not a fit for the position anymore!”

But, Depression and PTSD don’t just destroy your career and livelihood, it destroys so much more than a job or position, it destroys your life, your family, your relationships, your health, you name it depression and PTSD will more than likely play a role in it.

Those with depression and PTSD symptoms were often labeled as “weak” and removed from careers, duties, pulled from the line as a first responder, or in both can lose their jobs outright!

Almost 31% of Vietnam veterans, 10% of Gulf War veterans, and right now approx. 11% and still growing of the Afghan war! 27-28% of Canadian Paramedics have considered ending their lives! The overall suicide rate rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics

The increases were so widespread that they lifted the nation’s suicide rate to 13 per 100,000 people. The federal health agency’s last major report on suicide, released in 2013, noted a sharp increase in suicide among 35- to 64-year-olds. But the rates have risen even more since then — up by 7 percent for the entire population since 2010, the end of the last study period,

A 2014 study in BMC Emergency Medicine found 16% of South African paramedic trainees meeting PTSD criteria. A U.K. study of emergency responders pegged the number at 22%. Some have suggested rates as high as 37%! This is a worldwide issue we are dealing with.

These numbers and studies go back to the 1990’s and still today, in 2016 there is no change in those number for the better, I’d even venture to guess they are much worse in the US if not the world!

Why is there little to no change or an increase? I see it simply as no one is really sure how to handle PTSD and we all have been almost programmed to “have a thick skin” “Dust it off” or “suck it up” attitude from our peers and command staff or fear getting taking off the line or worse losing our job (as has happened in documented cases)!

For every single person that has ever put on a uniform, that answer will be different. There is NO good answer or no correct answer. I know I can say, if I knew then what I knew today, I can say I honestly don’t know. I know I gave a lot to my community and country. But, I can say I don’t know.

You see in my case, the years of all the calls turned into many nights of self-medicating with coworkers and alone with alcohol to drown out the past shift and calls. Those nights turned into the weight gains and straight crappy eating habits that got me to 260 + pounds and a fat out of shape EMT! It led to ruined relationships, friends only to party with, ruined family relationships, and finally to a long course through the judicial system for alcohol issues.

I have had mentors teach me how to turn my focus into personal development and use that to grow from where I was. I have taken personal development as a way to start each day and be able to teach others to grow themselves and their businesses. Once you learn to focus on a positive pathway so many doors will open for your future whether that is in entrepreneurship or other avenues, personal development will be one of the keys to your new success!

But, that’s great an all what about my PTSD? I can say even though I am not a fat slob anymore and actually love my body and looks now. It still is a daily struggle with everything related to PTSD, many people see the outer shell and think “Oh look at you, your life is great” People literally judge a book by its cover to this day!

Some people who are close to me and know me very well brush it under the rug or say “oh you’re blaming your depression or PTSD.”

Seriously, ill trade you! Try it out for a few days and tell me what you think! Having depression and PTSD is literally like being on a roller coaster in the dark and you never know when the next turn will be! It could be a holiday, or maybe hearing a gunshot, a firecracker, or the sounds of sirens, every person has different triggers and lots of times more than one trigger.

I hope one day that people will realize depression and PTSD is a huge issue and take actions to help reduce the number of suicides due to them. But until then, we can only pray for those protecting us!

There are always people ready to listen – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Call 1-800-273-8255

Zach Loescher – EMT/CPT

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