March On Stress

New expert guidelines for PTSD in emergency service workers

Added on the 29th October 2015

New PTSD expert guidelines have been published in Australia – the first guidance to focus on diagnosis and treatment specifically for emergency service workers.

The evidence-based expert guidelines come from the Black Dog Institute and were developed by leading Australian clinicians and researchers, including Dr Samuel Harvey and Professor Richard Bryant.

They have been endorsed by the Royal Australian and NZ College of Psychiatrists and have been designed for use by any health professional who is managing PTSD in this unique group.

Professor Neil Greenberg, March on Stress Director, has welcomed the new guidelines. He said: “The advice and information contained is very sensible and should be a great help to health professionals managing PTSD in emergency service workers.

“Emergency service workers undoubtedly face trauma in their roles. We at March on Stress work with a number of emergency services in the UK who recognise the importance of supporting their people and provide them with peer support training, through Trauma Risk Management (TRiM).

“The TRiM process helps to ensure that signs and symptoms of distress are spotted at an early stage and treatment is sought before PTSD and longer term mental health problems may become an issue.

“We know from research that most people, including emergency service workers, recover from a traumatic incident relatively quickly but having a supportive process which has been proven to boost resilience can help to remove the stigma of help seeking.

“For those who may need additional support and medical intervention the expert guidelines set out by the Black Dog Institute are an excellent source for medical professionals providing care and treatment.”

The guidelines are available to download from the Black Dog Institute website. Please click here.

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