PTSD UK Reports That 20% Of Emergency Services Frontline Workers Will Go On To Develop PTSD: Compared To 4% In General Population.

Am I ok? Is question that often lingers in the minds of emergency service workers as they leave the scene of another fatality. Police officers called to discover a body after a collision, firefighters cutting victims from wreckage — these moments are part of their job. What many might say they’re paid to do.

They respond professionally, trained to face the unimaginable. But behind that uniform, in the quiet corners of their minds, a voice asks: “Oh no, not another one. How many more can I take?”

Then the professionalism kicks in. The uniform goes on. The mind switches to autopilot. That voice is pushed aside. “We’re manning up,” they think.

Men, especially, are conditioned to suppress emotion. The voice that questions “Am I ok?” becomes buried beneath layers of stoicism.

It’s the same for officers attending stabbings, who are often first on the scene, desperately trying to save a young person’s life. Despite their best efforts, the victim dies — and officers are left covered in blood, haunted by what just happened. Still, there’s no time to pause. No time to reflect. They wipe it away and respond to the next call. The trauma is left unprocessed, packed away in their minds as their shift continues.

By the end of the day, perhaps a sense of detachment has settled in. Maybe it helps them cope. Maybe it’s just survival.

Then there’s the fire chief, forced to tell more than ten families that their homes have been completely destroyed. They beg for the chance to go inside, to salvage anything. But he knows there’s nothing left. He feels the weight of delivering that blow. The little voice says, “I feel awful. Am I ok?”

But he’s the chief. He’s got to be ok. There’s no room for anything else. So, that voice is silenced once again.

But what happens when that voice gets louder? When sleep becomes impossible, when nightmares take over, when the faces of the people you’ve tried to save won’t leave your mind?

There’s always one day too many. The day the trauma breaks through and says, “You have to deal with me now.”

This is just a small glimpse into what emergency services workers endure during their careers. It is vital that a national mental health strategy is implemented.

The government is quick to hand police chiefs more power to sack officers — but where is the same urgency to protect their wellbeing? What happens when these blue light workers realise the trauma they’ve witnessed for years has finally caught up with them?

Who is there to support them?

Yes, the culture is changing. But the old stigma — especially for men — still hangs around. “Man up.” “Strap a pair on.” These phrases shouldn’t exist anymore.

Supporting the mental health of our emergency services is just as important as paying them properly. They are there for us when we need them — why is no one there for them?

According to a 2022 Mind study, more than one in four emergency workers in the UK have contemplated taking their own life due to the pressures of the job. PTSD UK reports that around 20% of frontline workers will go on to develop PTSD, compared to just 4% in the general population.

The trauma is real. The cost is high. And the time to act is now.

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