Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not an easy one nor does one diagnosis fit all.

Described as an anxiety disorder, PTSD can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic, shocking or frightening event.

With June being hailed as National PTSD awareness month, I thought who better to shed light on the topic than our town's first responders.

Firefighter Chris Chyka and Lieutenant Jeff Avery have spent time researching, training and understanding how PTSD affects not only the individual but the community as a whole. Speaking from their own point of view, the firefighters talk about Post Traumatic Stress through their own eyes in hopes to educate the public at large.

In order to understand, we must start at the beginning. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder often begins with our own perception of an event or a series of events.

While you may think only traumatic events can trigger PTSD, it can also be onset by a series of cumulative stressors, says Chyka. "It can be coming to work every day and maybe not getting along with a co-worker, problems at home and then adding that to the stress of the calls. You can only put so much in the bank before the cracks start to form and maybe what was once manageable on its own is no longer."

Knowing what signs and symptoms (listed below) to watch for is important but you also need to know that not all symptoms will manifest right away. For some people shares Chyka, symptoms may develop right after an impactful event, appear weeks or months later or lay dormant until you find yourself in a similar situation. At that point, unfortunately, you may find yourself suffering from another issue and that is the stigma associated with PTSD. "You might have all these (symptoms) but I'm not going to say anything."

Although a recent study suggests Canda has the highest rate of PTSD out of 24 countries and a 9.2% occurrence rate; trying to find stats, especially Canadian ones, is incredibly difficult. Chyka believes paramedics, in many ways, have it worse than other first responders because they deal with human suffering for long periods of time. "That type of exposure and that type of intensity is typically why paramedics have a higher rate of PTSD even higher than police officers and firefighters."

Another unfair comparison is lumping paramedics, firefighters, police and military personnel into one category when talking about risk factors. Although it is a known fact that suicide rates among first responders are higher, Chyka struggles with the fact of being considered 'fragile'. "We are treated like that now. I do both roles, I am still an active paramedic with AHS and a fulltime firefighter and I am almost tired of being treated as fragile. I know what I signed up for, and yes there are elements that bother me but I am not fragile and I have coping mechanisms. So not every paramedic, firefighter, police officer or military professional should be lumped into the same category that you do this job...so you must be fragile...and I need to watch what I say to you. It's not like that; mental resilience is important."

The big question is, has the pendulum swung too far?! Are we labelling people with PTSD when we don't need to be? And how do we move from being reactionary to precautionary?

It's not that PTSD is new, we just have a more formalized name now. Suffering military personnel used to be referred to as shell-shocked years ago...now it is PTSD. Many people affected may mask symptoms through alcohol and substance abuse and under-reporting of symptoms to doctors happens more often than you think.

PTSD has a huge societal impact. "It doesn't just affect you as the individual, it affects your home life, the community and the healthcare system. In its totality it has far-reaching effects; the isolation, medication costs, counselling this is why we need to build mental resilience. This is why we need programs in place, we don't need reactionary actions but proactive thoughts where we are checking in on each other."

Relationship building through the workplace needs to be at the forefront as it allows members to bounce thoughts off of one another. "I can't highlight that enough, the relationships we have is what gets me and many others in this department through the hard times and good days as well."

Having a critical stress management team in place to debrief and help the member diffuse after a large event is also helpful, as is finding a counsellor who understands the ins and outs of PTSD. "You can go to any counsellor, that's your right; but not every counsellor is well versed or tuned into traumatic events or first responder counselling, it's a very unique field."

In terms of recovery, there is no set timeline "Treatment doesn't happen overnight and there's a re-integration process that follows after that as well. It can take anywhere from 2 months to 6 to a year depending on the significance of the event and the significance is all up to the individual."

Chyka and Avery believe precautionary measures for first responders include sweating it out through physical exercise, making programs readily available, having higher up staff members know their employees, knowing where to reach out and having easy access to resources without having to dig for them.

When it comes to the public at large, education is key. "Not the fact that we talk about it all the time but proper education. Letting people know that, yes, we are exposed to some bad stuff and we're not meant to see that stuff repeatedly but we need to educate the general public in saying, no, not every call I go to creates a PTSD moment for me but there is something that could. I don't need to be known as a fragile member of society but I need to be known as a mentally resilient member of society who can be exposed to some pretty horrific things."

Chyka is investigating the possibility of screening the documentary 'The Other Side of the Hero' for the public at large. The independent documentary looks at first responders outside of their uniforms and those that have experienced the flip-side of what can happen when a hero discovers that they are not emotionally immune to all that happens in the course of a shift. 

If you are wondering about the symptoms of PTSD they are listed below:

  • Intrusive memories: It’s common to relive the traumatic event in memories, which can manifest as flashbacks, nightmares and disturbing thoughts about the incident.
  • Avoidance behaviours: In an attempt to prevent extreme distress, individuals with PTSD tend to avoid reminders and feelings associated with their trauma. This could involve certain places, activities and even people, potentially disrupting normal daily functioning. 
  • Increased arousal and reactivity: Symptoms of these may include irritability, anger, aggression, hypervigilance, insomnia and startling or becoming sensitive easily.
  • Negative changes in mood and thought: Symptoms of these may include negative mood shifts, distorted beliefs about oneself, others and the world, feelings of detachment and guilt, or lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities.

If you feel you may be suffering, Chyka and Avery encourage you to reach out to your physician, a peer, 811 and if you are a first responder https://wgmpsych.com