Niosh destaca tema suicídio no trabalho. A importância desse tema é crescente
What We Know About Suicides Among First Responders
| First responders are key to protecting public safety and health. Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services clinicians respond to both emergency and nonemergency calls, often risking their own lives to help those in need. Public safety telecommunicators (911 dispatchers) are the first to respond when someone calls 911 for help. While protecting public safety is honorable, it comes with a cost. First responders have unique job stressors that may increase their risk for suicide. Suicides are a major public health problem according to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Leia mais |
 Photo by ©Getty images |
|---|
Stress can be acute (one specific incident) or chronic (a buildup of day-to-day issues). For first responders, stress is linked to an increased risk of mental health problems such as
- hopelessness
- anxiety
- depression
- post-traumatic stress
- suicidal behaviors (thinking or trying to kill oneself)
Based on data analyzed from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), 61,579 suicides occurred during 2015–2017, from states providing data to NVDRS for this period. The analysis, coauthored by NIOSH researchers, provided a glimpse into some of the stressors first responders face. Below are some key takeaways:
- First responders accounted for 676 (or 1%) of reported suicides.
- Among first responders who died by suicide (for whom circumstances were known), the most frequent issues family members, friends, and employers reported were intimate partner, job, or physical health problems.
- Some common risk factors for suicide (history of suicidal thoughts, previous suicide attempt, substance use disorder) were significantly lower among first responders compared with non-first responders.
Information in NVDRS on the circumstances preceding suicide (e.g., job or personal stressors at the time of death) depends on the completeness and quality of reports the information is drawn from. To improve suicide prevention efforts, more research is needed to better understand these stressors and how they relate to suicide and suicidal behaviors among first responders.
To ensure information on suicides among first responders is as complete as possible, in 2020, Congress provided funding to CDC to create a Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting Module within NVDRS. This new module is funded through the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act. Implemented as part of the NVDRS data collection effort in January 2022, data from this new module is expected to be released in Fall 2024. The information collected through this expanded effort is expected to better understand suicide deaths among first responders and may inform prevention efforts.
First responders are crucial to ensuring public safety, public health, and national security. We must address the mental health needs of those who are often first to respond to the public’s safety and health.
If you or someone you know is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress and needs support now, call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org. They will connect you with a trained crisis counselor who can help. For more information, visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- Efetue login ou registre-se para postar comentários
