Medics on Antidepressants

[firedoc5]

For those who know me, know I am on SSRI anti depressants, and it seems there isnt such a stigma about them here in kiwiland as there is over in the USA. People take them if they need them and the docs here that I have had dealings with, will try the counselling and psycotherapy line before anti d's are given.

I have no shame saying I am on them, I have PTSD *non EMS related* and the medication have helped, I will prob come off them in a couple years, but at this stage in my life, they help and anyone that is prejudiced for needing them or seeking help rather than drugs or alcohol is unfairly prejudiced then.

Scotty

If you need them, then you need them. If you can perform your duties and the job at hand, then more power to you. Keep with the counseling for as long as you need to. My best advice to you my friend is to stay focused, move forward, don't look back. Move beyond the past. Take anything you have learned and use it as an optimistic opportunity. To some that might sound like a lot of babbling, but I think you understand what I'm saying, Scotty.

PM me anytime.

[EMTBASIC_911_911]

Ummmmmm hello...your in a stressfull field here.....sometimes people get depressed there is nothing wrong with anyone taking anti depressents...I was on them for 5 years before I came off them. Would you rather have an EMT working on you who had anti depressents in their system or would you rather you get the one who decides to drink their problems away and has it in their system working on you? I agree with celtic.....that is quite judgemental

[Dustdevil]

Would you rather have an EMT working on you who had anti depressents in their system or would you rather you get the one who decides to drink their problems away and has it in their system working on you?

I would rather have a medic who was on neither one of those. Why do our patients have to choose between levels of impaired providers?

It's not like there is a gross shortage of ambulance drivers, where we have to settle for the less impaired provider instead of simply hiring non-impaired ones.

[BVESBC]

I would rather have a medic who was on neither one of those. Why do our patients have to choose between levels of impaired providers?

It's not like there is a gross shortage of ambulance drivers, where we have to settle for the less impaired provider instead of simply hiring non-impaired ones.

Dust, you wrote AMBULANCE DRIVERS, I thought that term was retired!! LOL

[emtannie]

I would rather have a medic who was on neither one of those. Why do our patients have to choose between levels of impaired providers?

So again I will ask.... where do we draw the line? Anything that alters brain chemistry makes someone unfit for EMS? Just consider... a partner who was at a wedding or a bachelor party yesterday and shows up today hung over/dehydrated/ill.... probably has altered his/her brain chemistry.. do we send them home? A female on birth control pills... or at "that time of the month".. all PMS jokes aside... quite possibly has a different emotional level than before... do we refuse to employ females? The guy who has decided to quit smoking... and is more than a bit edgy because of it... is that altered brain chemistry? Do we refuse to let them treat a patient?

It is easy to stand in judgment and point fingers, saying this person or that person is unfit... when it comes to patients choosing between levels of "impairment"... whether we want to admit it or not, our own services create this, regardless of medication. Consider the medic who has been on a 24 or 48 hour shift, and hasn't had any sleep yet. Impaired? Probably...

Singling out those who are on anti-depressant medications as impaired seems a little narrow-minded. If you have factual evidence that they can't do their job, that is a completely different story... but to just categorize them into "impaired" or "unfit" is a judgment which appears to be based more on opinion than fact.

[Cadet66HM5]

So again I will ask.... where do we draw the line? Anything that alters brain chemistry makes someone unfit for EMS? Just consider... a partner who was at a wedding or a bachelor party yesterday and shows up today hung over/dehydrated/ill.... probably has altered his/her brain chemistry.. do we send them home? A female on birth control pills... or at "that time of the month".. all PMS jokes aside... quite possibly has a different emotional level than before... do we refuse to employ females? The guy who has decided to quit smoking... and is more than a bit edgy because of it... is that altered brain chemistry? Do we refuse to let them treat a patient?

I completely agree. Where do we draw the line?

[Just Plain Ruff]

we all have to be the most healthy individuals that the law will allow

no heart problems, no nutty professor problems and NO Infectious diseases by golly

we also have to have no memory issues, never ever missspell a word(he he) and we just have to be well you know, healthy.

[Cadet66HM5]

What about all of the L.O.D.D.'s we hear about related to Heart attacks or strokes? Obesity is a huge health problem, yet do we kick our providers off if their BMI is >24? Cause you would be getting rid of a lot of providers I know.

[Just Plain Ruff]

If you ask me, having a heart attack while on duty, or dying in your sleep while on dutyr isn't really a line of duty death.

What I consider qualifying as a line of duty death is dying while doing the job not just sleeping and never waking up, but then again, that's just my opinion.

[Cadet66HM5]

What about a medic who on the way up stairs to rescue a patient has a heart attack and dies....but that is not the debatable topic here. Its how to we determine healthy versus unhealthy providers?