WE'RE
WE'RE SPENDING THE WEEK DIGGING INTO4@
INTO4@
INTO4@ WHY THEY STRUGGLE - AND WHAT CAN
BE
BE
BE DONE.
BE DONE. SOME RES4@OURCES FOR P-T-S-D
ALREADY EXIST. BUT THEY'RE NOT
ALWAYS ACCESSED BY THE WOMEN AND
MEN WHO NEED THEM. ROB HARRIS
ASKS WHAT KEEPS OUR FIRST RESPONDERS FROM GETTING 4@HELP.
"THE STIGMA. THE STIGMA. STIGMA
.
.
. THERE
. THERE IS STILL A LOT OF STIGMA. 4@
IT'S T4@HE
STIGMA. THERE'S A GREAT FEAR AND
A GREAT STIGMA. OUR BIGGEST
ISSUE
ISSUE IS
ISSUE IS THE STIGMA." 0:25 YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
TO FIX IT, SO YOU CAN'T SHOW
THAT EMOTION 1:53 THEY CALL IT A STIGMA FOR @
4@
REASON. THEY'RE 4@TOUGH TO SHAK.
1:05 IT WAS SOMETHING WE
DIDN'T MENTION. WE DIDN'T TALK4@ ABOUT
ABOUT
ABOUT 4@4@4@
4@4@4@
.
. IT
. IT WASN'T COOL, IT WASN'T4@ MACHO TO TALK ABO4@UT SOMETHING THAT MAY
HAVE BOTHERED YOU MENTALLY SO WE
JUST SUPPRESSED IT. WE KEPT IT4@
ALL IN. 43:08 "IN THIS PROFESSION, YOU'RE4@
SEEN AS SOMEBODY WHO'S SUPPOSED
4@
TO
4@ TO
TO
HAVE
HAVE PERSONAL STRENGTH. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SEEN AS WEAK AND CAN'T HANDLE THE STRESS OF
THE4@
SITUATION, SO A LOT OF PEOPLE
DON'T
SPEAK UP."
3:59 "THERE'S THIS IDEA THAT
SOMEHOW
IT'S A WEAKNESS."4@
1:53 THEY CALL IT A STIGMA FOR A
REASON. THEY'RE TOUGH TO SHAKE.
THEY ARE, YOU KNOW. EVERYONE'S4@
MACHO IN THE LINE OF WORK OF PUBLIC
SAFETY. AND IT'S EASY TO SIT
BACK
AND SAY, 'YEAH YOU KNOW WE NEED
4@
TO
4@ TO
4@ TO SHAKE THIS STIGMA BECAUSE IT
COULD4@
TO SHAKE THIS STIGMA BECAUSE IT COULD4@4@
BOTHER SOME OF OUR MEMBERS. I
MEAN, IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME.' AND
YOU'LL SEE THAT A LOT I THINK
WITH PEOPLE.
WITH PEOPLE. WE SPOKE TO SO MANY FIRST
RESPONDERS, AND THEY ALL SAID
THE EXACT SAME THING. THAT
THERE'S A STIGMA FROM WITHIN AND
FROM THE
FROM THE
FROM THE OUTSIDE COMMUNITY THAT CAN KEEP
THEM FROM GETTING THE HELP THEY
NEED . BUT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE
ONLY BARRIER THEY HAVE.
SOMETIMES, THERE CAN BE VERY 4@
4@
REAL
REAL CONSEQUENCES TO THEIR CAREER IF THEY SAY THEY NEED HELP. 2:42 THEY HAVE 'FIT FOR
DUTY.' SO IF THEY REACH OUT AND
4@
ASK FOR HELP AND SAY
SOMETHING'S BOTHERING THEM, THEN
THEY
THEY MAY
THEY MAY BE PUT OFF. . AND UNFORTUNATELY, CULTURALLY, I KNOW4@
OF SITUATIONS WITHIN AGENCIES
WITHIN THE STATE OF KENTUCKY
WHERE
THEY SEE A FIRST RESPONDERI
WON'T POINT OUT ANY PARTICULAR
PROFESSION BUT A FIRST
RESPONDER
WHO DOES ACKNOWL4@EDGE THEY HAVE
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS
SYMPTOMS OR BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH
A DISORDER OR IS JUST STRUGGLING
AND
AND
AND THEY
AND THEY SEEM THEM AS A LIABILITY SO
THEY GET RID OF THEM.
3:19 IMAGINE ME GOING TO THE4@ CHIEF
AND GOING 'CHIEF, I'M STUGGLING.
I
I DON'T
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS.' FIRST OF ALL, THE CHIEF HAS NEVER HAD TO
4@
DEAL
4@ DEAL
4@ DEAL WITH IT. HE'S GOING 'I DON'T
KNOW HOW4@ TO4@
DEAL WITH IT.' AND THEN
SECONDLY,
'WELL ARE YOU A LIABILITY? ARE
YOU
ABLE TO DO THIS JOB?' YEAH, I4@
CAN DO
CAN DO
THE
THE JOB,
THE JOB, BUT I'M STRUGGLING. AND THERE IS THAT STIGMA OF IF YOU
GO SEE SOMEONE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH
PROFESSION, THAT THERE'S
SOMETHING4@ WRONG WITH YOU. AND YOU'RE
BROKEN.4@
OR YOU'RE UNFIT FOR DUTY. AND
IT'S NOT.
FOR 10 YEARS I WAS PROBABLY
UNFIT FOR
DUTY BECAUSE I NEVER TALKED
ABOUT IT. AND I HAD TO DEAL WITH
THAT, BUT I STILL FUNCTIONED, I
4@
4@ STILL
4@ STILL PERFORMED.
STILL PERFORMED. 4:52 IF YOU REMOVE THEM FROM THEIR JOB, AND YOU TAKE AWAY
THEIR BADGE OR4@ GUN OR TELL THM
4@4@
YOU CAN'T RIDE OR DO ANY WORK
4@4@
4@4@