Can YOU Talk About IT?

Paul Combs has the ability to put so many words into an illustration that is right on point. View his illustrations at ArtStudioSeven.com

Can you talk about mental illness? What does mental illness mean to you? What is it really? What is depression, PTSD, and other forms of mental illness? Keep reading to find out what mental illness is. The topic is taboo, we don’t want to talk about it…but we need to. We need to be able to talk about it, begin to understand it, and know when and where to get help.

This post is meant to be a snippet of information on mental illness. In the wake of the recent news of Robin Williams death and the news of his suffering from mental illness, I felt that this was a decent time to talk about the subject and offer some information on mental illness as well as some outlets to utilize or share with others.

There is no secret that firefighters and EMT’s witness many things in their professional lives that most people wouldn’t imagine coming in contact with. Our abilities to handle these incidents can be overwhelming at times. The truth is that I am not an expert, or even mildly knowledgeable of mental illness. However, I have had seen how it can affect firefighters and non-firefighters in their lives.

Probably one of the biggest things I have learned over the years is this: I used to think that suicide was a cop-out, cowardly, selfish. I do not think that way anymore. I have seen and learned enough to know that mental illness is serious and that people who suffer from mental illness need help whether they know it or not.

What the fire service needs to know is when and where to get help…either for themselves or for others. It is OK to get help!

Here are some resources for the fire service to utilize if you or someone else needs help: 

• Safe Call Now
• 1st Responder Treatment
• North American Fire Fighter’s Veteran Network
• Grieving Behind the Badge

Here are some articles to read from the fire service related to mental illness:

• Searching for a “New Normal” – IronFiremen.com
• The Discussion EVERY Shift Must Have
• So, You Think You’re Invincible?

Below is information on what mental illness is and what are some symptoms of mental illness. The text is from MayoClinic.org

The Mayo Clinic defines mental illness as:

Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.

Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function.

A mental illness can make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life, such as at work or in relationships. In most cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications and counseling (psychotherapy). Source

Below are some symptoms of mental illness:

Signs and symptoms of mental illness can vary, depending on the particular disorder, circumstances and other factors. Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions, thoughts and behaviors.

Examples of signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling sad or down
• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
• Withdrawal from friends and activities
• Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
• Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Major changes in eating habits
• Sex drive changes
• Excessive anger, hostility or violence
• Suicidal thinking

Sometimes symptoms of a mental health disorder appear as physical problems, such as stomach pain, back pain, headache, or other unexplained aches and pains. Source