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I must admit, I have been having second thoughts regarding Mikeymedic's apparent indifference to the suicide rate in EMS. Back when I was on the cusp, I had much the same attitude. It wasn't until recently that I realised that my indifference to the suffering of those on the job around me was not only causing them harm, but more importantly, myself. The attitude that if you can't hand;e the heat, stay out of the kitchen is rampant amongst those in our line of work, and truth be told, those words came from my mouth as well. Until I realised that it was just my cover, my denial and bravado was my coping mechanism and it was a hair's breadth from failing me and those I love. Since then the world has been a much better place for me, my family, and my friends. Kelly Grayson's words of wisdom regarding depression quite likely helped to save my life.The gist of what he said...or how I chose to interpret it...was that once you recognise and acknowledge the cause of your drepression, it no longer has a hold over you. You can see it for what it truly is and deal with it in a healthy manner. Shea Emry is a professional Canadian football player, and he started a foundation called www.wellmen.org to teach men that they don't have to be tough guys and fight through their depression...that there are better ways. I recently discovered his foundation and I plan to work with him to develop something for first responders of both genders. Mikey, please, you need to deal with your issues in a healthy manner. Acknowledge them and accept them, only then can you begin to deal with them.

https://dimcmath.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/unless-youve-been-there-you-wouldnt-understand-a-paramedics-farewell-to-the-job/ She didn't write this, but posted it to her facebook just a few hours prior.

our deepest sympathies to all who knew her and worked with her. She survived a long career of helping others ,only to meet a terrible end. This is the true epidemic : the strong ones are losing the battle any one incident can be the trigger

If you really want to go this route with the discussion that's ok. Let's talk about disease, then. What's the rate of mental health issues involved in the population that comprises EMS providers? If you consider this article (with links to resources included within) EMS providers in Canada have twice the risk of PTSD than civilians. Some resources put the rate of PTSD as high as 24% over the duration of a career. This article from 2012 cites sources that up to 29% of EMS providers demonstrate post traumatic symptoms. While we all agree that numbers are hard to find because no one is really tracking them this article cites a lower number than has been mentioned previously in this discussion for US based EMS provider suicide while acknowledging that this is likely hugely under-reported. But that number is still more than one a week And this is just the discussion surrounding PTSD and suicide. This doesn't count or consider the numerous other mental health issues that plague EMS providers. So here we are with limited numbers and information available. However, what information we do have suggests the risk of PTSD at more than twice the general population. It also suggests rates population wide as high as 29%. At what point, then, do you think the CDC's definition of "disease within a specific group of people over a period of time" is met? Interestingly enough this discussion and the articles I linked pretty much shoot down your idea that we have lower rates as we see how precious life really is. It's seeing the frequency of the wasting of such precious life over and over again that drags people down. To be honest I'm not entirely sure what you're driving at or why you're driving so hard. Whether you want to admit it or not this is a problem. It is more widespread than you want to believe. It affects way too many of us. Burying your head in the sand and simply acknowledging it as "sad", the same as one might comment on the passing of a public figure, only contributes to the problem.

More people die from the flu --- i am sorry, even at 400, it is not an epidemic, at best, it is roughly the same number as those that drown in bathtubs. Is it sad, sure !!!! But to claim it as an epidemic is ridiculous. The CDC's official definition of an epidemic is: "The occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time." Does anyone have any proof that suicides in our industry are increasing, or are higher than normal, or higher than any other industry ? According to this article, we (our industry) do not even make the top 18 among the highest group that commits suicide (white men) : http://www.newhealthguide.org/Highest-Suicide-Rate-By-Profession.html