Mental Health

What is your preferred method of dealing with stress?


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ffemt8978

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A recent thread got me started thinking about this, so I figured I would post it as a poll and see what you say.
 

rescuecpt

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The recent stressful situation I encountered has made me talk a lot about it - but mostly to co-workers and friends in the biz because other people cant understand why I do what I do, and they can't understand some of the clinical facts involved.
 
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ffemt8978

ffemt8978

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Okay, now that I got you thinking about this topic, let me ask another question.

Do you think that Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISDs) are a good thing and should be mandatory attendance, should be voluntary attendance; or should be done away with?
 

rescuecpt

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I think CISDs are good, but I don't think you can force people to attend. They are much more beneficial when everyone who attends wants to be there and freely shares their experience - It is critical for the Chiefs and other officers to strongly encourage people to be there, but in a volunteer department, it is very difficult to use the word "mandatory".

I know FDNY and NYPD have mandatory counseling sessions, which at times I think can be helpful, but just like the CISDs, if you force people, it is less productive.
 

rescuecpt

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I was on a business trip last week, but while I was away, my FD had the County CISD team come in and "debrief" willing department members about the hit & run. One of my crew members from the rescue squad was mad because she said the CISD team spoke more about alcohol abuse than the actual circumstances... we don't even know whether the alcohol was involved.

I personally (if I was there) would have wanted to talk more about the sadness of finding my neighbor left for dead on his front lawn, the anger I felt for whoever did it, and then the mind-numbing confession by someone I know, who was sworn to help others, saying that he was behind the wheel.

But hey, what do I know. I had my own CISD - the first great business trip I've been on (mostly made great due to the fact that we stayed at the Four Seasons Dallas and I was out of work by 5:30 every day... oh yeah, the pool staff "spritzing" you with evian water when you got too hot and the mints on my pillow each night weren't bad either!)
 

ma2va92

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Originally posted by rescuelt@Jul 12 2004, 02:16 PM
mostly made great due to the fact that we stayed at the Four Seasons Dallas and I was out of work by 5:30 every day... oh yeah, the pool staff "spritzing" you with evian water when you got too hot and the mints on my pillow each night weren't bad either!)
So what is the number to go this this place.. to ease stress.... Wait I may not need it.. the kids nailed me with the hose while washing the truck.. aka spritzing.. and my daugther's kitten left something on the bed... but i don't think it was a mint.
 

rescuecpt

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Question: Have any of you ever encountered a situation with a squad/department member who has a drinking problem? What were the facts, what action did the department take, what did you do? I have a captain who is a known alcoholic, who has been to treatment and regressed more than once, and who is "returning" to service in a few days.

My policy is if she appears drunk, she's off the rig, but I'm not always there, and a lot of alcoholics can hide it pretty well.

The Chiefs refuse to take a united, firm stance because they think they're covering their asses, and some of them are friends with her. I think they would be better covering their asses and serving their friendship if they suspended her and got her help...
 
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ffemt8978

ffemt8978

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First of all, no I haven't been in that situation yet (and hope never to be).

Does your department have a policy (or a state law) on responding to calls if you've been drinking? My previous department had an unofficial policy of one drink was okay, but you had to notify the IC you'd been drinking. If you had two or more drinks, don't even bother responding.

I'm sure that I don't have to remind you that alcoholism is considered to be a disease, and employers may not terminate somebody because they are sick. This kind of puts you in an akward position, but I agree with your comment about if she appears drunk, she's off the rig.

Sorry I can't be of much help here, but please keep me informed of how this turns out.
 

rescuecpt

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In the rescue squad's bylaws, if a member appears to be drunk, high, or has a known unresolved substance abuse problem, we are required to report it to the State DOH. We are also required to file the report WITH THE CHIEFS. Our bylaws are clear, we are not supposed to bypass the Chiefs to go to the State.

About a year ago we had a problem with a medic. I was called into the County training directors office and asked some questions about a call with this medic. I answered honestly, and the medic had some "counseling" and additional training from the County. I was treated by the Chiefs office as if I had betrayed the brotherhood and they felt that I went outside the department seeking this attention and that I specifically WENT to the County to try to get the department in trouble. Quite the contrary, I was sitting in an ALS class at the County office when the training director came to find me and pull me out of class.

That's why I'm hesitant to go through the Chiefs, since they are friends with the person in question and don't want "others" to know our problems. But their track record with people with drinking problems isn't good - the firefighter involved in the hit & run a couple months ago (posted elsewhere here) had a known drinking problem, and one of the Chiefs had even talked a local police officer out of arresting him for DWI one night.

I don't want to jump the gun, who knows, the person may be better and may be working very hard to stay sober. I think what I'll have to do is see what happens, and the first time I think something inappropriate is occurring, I need to report it to the DOH regardless of what the Chiefs say, think, want, etc., because in the end my loyalty is supposed to be to my brothers and my patients, and someone who is intoxicated isn't safe for anyone to be around.
 

Ray1129

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Do you think that Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISDs) are a good thing and should be mandatory attendance, should be voluntary attendance;

I don't think it should be mandatory attendance, but there should always be one available if needed....at any time. It's not always going to hit within the first 48 to 72 hours. It's when everyones done talking about that one call, things quiet down about it, and then you get to thinking about it on your own. (You know how the guys (and yes, us as well) get. They get a good working fire or a really bad MVC that is worth story time for weeks!)

I also think it should be mandatory for private companies to have a CISD team/crew. Maybe work like the medical director and cover more than one company, seeing as how a lot of private ambos don't do too many stressful calls....but there should definately be a number *ON HAND* to call if that kind of situation arises.

I had an incident with one of my previous employers....They sent my partner and I on a call that still haunts me. They knew this call was going to be a problem. They sent us home after the call was done. Told us to take a few days off to handle it. But did they once ask us to come in to talk about it? No. Did they once offer any kind of services themselves? No. And when approached, did they help in the manner they should have? No. They got the money for their call, and to them the call was long over and done with.
 

Luno

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Well, being new here, I'm going to have to take issue with Ray on his previous statement, "seeing as how a lot of private ambos don't do too many stressful calls" well I'm not sure where you work but here (I work private in King Co. WA) we get our fair share. (in our station of 2 ambulances we average 6000+ call-outs per year) We get our fair share of DOAs (where you have to carry the deceased to the couch, and wait for the chaplain while the wife's screaming, because her husband died apx 4 hrs ago and she can't wake him up), the car grinders (including a 50 min extrication which the pt survived, btw, he seperated his brain from his spine), your run of the mill 15yo M SI/Trazadone OD, 13yo F w/vag bleed, 5yo hit by car, etc...... And to think of it all, I guess maybe you're right, after it's all said and done, very few keep me awake at night, I guess we just shut them out, except those few where you're looking into someone's eyes when they glass over, and no matter what you do, you can't bring them back. That's the stuff nightmares are made of for me now. But I will agree that private ambulances leave many things to be desired, and employee support leads the list. i.e. we respond to GSWs w/o kevlar, because the owner of the co. doesn't believe that we need them. (they are mandatory for the FDs) There are also areas that we respond to that as recently as 18 mo. ago, there were bounties on our heads, yet, as long as the company makes their medicare pittance, we're expendable. Oh, by the way, to answer that question in advance, I would do it all over again, just to help one more person. But that's just me, and that how I deal.
 

rescuecpt

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I guess Ray's private ambulance service is more transport than emergency - I know the private services around here do very limited amounts of 911 calls.
 

Ray1129

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Sorry guys. Yet again I keep forgetting the rest of the world is not like Maryland. There are two private ambulance services in Harford County, and both primarily run routine transfer calls. But that was not the point I was getting at....

I was just severely stressed about not having help.......at all.







And one more thing. I'm a girl. :D
 
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ffemt8978

ffemt8978

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Originally posted by Ray1129@Sep 8 2004, 06:45 PM

And one more thing. I'm a girl. :D
So?
 

ma2va92

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Stress... hmmmm play with the dogs and horses.... chat about it... and humor.. works well for me....

all else fails.. were is my nerve meds
:D ;)
 

Luno

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FFEMT, I think she wrote that, as I had addressed ray's opinion as his.
 

Ray1129

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ffemt8978

ffemt8978

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Ray1129

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Oh no nononono....I'm not one of those 'I should get treated special because I'm female'. Actually, I can't stand that. If I'm going to do what you do, then I'm going to prove that I can do it. If you're going to do what I do, then you had better damn well prove that *you* can do it. :lol:
 

rescuecpt

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Amen sister!
 
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