First responders heroically serve our country every day. By being the first to arrive on the scene in crises, disasters, emergencies, wars, and other violent events, they suffer disproportionately from exposure to trauma and trauma-related stress and its mental health effects.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has reported that roughly one in three (30 percent) of first responders—that is, police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel—develop a behavioral health condition as a direct result of their work. The real number, accounting for those who are slow to report problems or live with undiagnosed symptoms, is inevitably much higher.
