A new study by Israeli researchers indicates that 90 percent of firefighters exhibit some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
As reported by medicalxpress.com (http://bit.ly/z82Dws), the study, by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Dr. Marc Lougassi, a firefighter himself, says that 24 percent of active firefighters in Israel suffer from full PTSD, 67 percent display partial PTSD while only nine percent showed no symptoms.
According to Dr. Mark Lerner, clinical psychologist and president of the Institute for Traumatic Stress, “Traumatic stress refers to our emotional, cognitive, behavioral, physiological, and spiritual reactions when we are exposed to, or witness, events that overwhelm our coping and problem-solving abilities.”
The study recruited approximately 342 active firefighters from all age groups, marital statuses, educational backgrounds, seniority levels, and roles. An additional 42 firefighters were used as a control group.
Read more about the study: http://bit.ly/z82Dws
For more about PTSD in firefighters, read Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: One Firefighter’s Story, Study Finds Sertraline Helps Relieve Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, UNDERSTANDING POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, THE COST OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, or The Psychological Aftermath of Terrorism.
