When people describe firefighters they typically use adjectives like brave, strong, courageous and daring. Conversely, when people describe people with mental health disorders they use adjectives like weak, crazy, and helpless. While I feel that these are misguided stereotypes unfortunately there are still a lot people in this world that have negative thoughts about people with mental health disorders. There is definitely a negative perception towards people who seek help in this area.
Many people do not want to admit they have an issue because they are afraid of how they will be perceived. What they don’t understand is how widespread mental health disorders are becoming. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 57.7 million or approx 26% of Americans over the age of 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. 1 in 4 people with a mental disorder. That number is staggering. The American Cancer Society reports that that there is a 1 in 3 chance of developing cancer among Americans. The number of Americans with heart disease in 2010 was 11.8%. Mental health disorders are much more prevalent than most would like to admit. The fact of the matter is we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to mental health disorders. We need to bring awareness to mental health disorders and we need to work to bring down the stereotypes and let people, especially firefighters, know that it is okay to admit they have a disorder and work to get them help to address the problem.
So what happens when a firefighter has a mental health disorder? More than likely they try and ignore it. Firefighters are strong and brave so they can’t show a weakness like having a disorder like anxiety or depression. They don’t want their coworkers to think they can’t do the job or can’t be relied upon so they hide it. God forbid that a firefighter be human and have vulnerabilities. I suppose a person with depression can’t be a good firefighter. I suppose a firefighter with anxiety is a liability to his or her crew in a fire. This type of thinking is the problem and it creates a cycle that a person can’t get out of without help. Consider this situation... a firefighter has anxiety. They are afraid someone will think less of them if they seek help or admit to disorder so they hide it. They suppress their feelings and emotions. All this does is feed the disorder more and creates the opportunity for the disorder to worsen. We have to stop the cycle. We need to let people know that it is okay to have a mental disorder. It doesn’t make someone less of a person if they have a mental disorder.
The first thing we need to do is break down the stereotype. Once we get through the stereotypes then we can work on getting people the help they need to manage these disorders. But first things first, we need to show firefighters that it is okay to admit to having a mental disorder and that it is okay to seek help. It doesn’t make someone a bad firefighter or less of a firefighter if they have a problem. So how do we do this? I feel like the first step is to show an example from the inside. We need an advocate and role model so that other firefighters can see that it is possible to have a mental disorder and still be successful as a firefighter. Let me introduce you to that advocate...its me. I have battled depression and anxiety for pretty much all my life. It wasn’t until about 10 years that I sought treatment for these disorders. I have good days and bad days with anxiety and depression. There were periods of time where I thought I could battle this disorder on my own without help. Typically I failed miserably when trying to battle this disorder on my own. Depression and anxiety are not disorders that you can battle on your own. In my case I needed medication to help sustain my mood and I needed counseling to work through my issues. It was difficult for to me to admit I couldn’t do it alone. I am typically a pretty independent person and feel like I can solve most problems on my own. Initially, I felt weak and I was less of a man because I had to take medication and go to counseling. I wasn’t a firefighter when I was initially diagnosed with anxiety and depression but the disorders both reared their ugly heads about a year after I started full time. I was dealing with several issues at the time and to be honest, had I not sought help my life would be much different today. I would most likely be divorced and no longer employed as a firefighter. I had become a shell of myself and I hated what I saw in the mirror everyday. Through medication and counseling I was able to get the help I needed and get my life turned around. It wasn’t easy and it didn’t happen over night. It was a tough process and I think I have made it through the worst of it but their is always more work to do and more steps to take.
There it is, it is out there on the table. I have depression and anxiety and I am a firefighter. I have a successful full time career with what I believe to be a bright future with the department. I am putting myself out there and telling my story in hopes that I can help others. I want firefighters to know that its okay to have a mental disorder and that it doesn’t make you less of a firefighter if you do. I want to help break down those stereotypes and I want do what I can to get other firefighters the help they need. Learn from my mistakes. I don’t want others to go through what I have gone through if they don’t have to. Thats why I am writing this article and thats why I am a part of Iowa Firefighter Resources. We are dedicated to helping Iowa Firefighters. Life Safety Initiative 13 needs to be promoted and we need to make sure firefighters have access to the help they need. Look for more in the upcoming months on this topic. For more information follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IowaFirefighterResources or on twitter @LSInitiative13.
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