Black Dog Institute and UNSW Sydney launched new guidelines for the management of PTSD among emergency service workers on Thursday, 21 March in NSW Parliament with Emergency Management Minister Jihad Dib and Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson.

Based on real-world evidence, these are the first and only PTSD guidelines in the world developed with a specific focus on the emergency services community.

Emergency service workers are twice as likely to experience mental health problems than the general population, in large part due to the high risk of trauma exposure at work. An estimated 1 in 10 of Australia’s 370,000+ emergency workers and volunteers will develop PTSD related to critical incidents.

“Emergency service workers encounter a range of traumatic events, from vehicle accidents to medical emergencies, exposure to violence and the increasing impact and severity of natural disasters,” says lead co-author Professor Sam Harvey, Executive Director and Chief Scientist of Black Dog Institute.

Read more: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/launch-of-world-first-guidelines-for-the-treatment-of-first-responders-with-ptsd/