Diagnosis and Treatment of PTSD in Emergency Services Workers

Posted Friday 29 November 2024 | Black Dog Institute

Emergency Service Workers are one of the high-risk groups for trauma exposure and are more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. These mental health conditions have significant impact on their employment, family/relationships, and wellbeing.

This workshop has been designed with a focus on GPs, to diagnose patients with acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other comorbidities. Evidence based guidelines will be used as the foundation to appropriately diagnose and identify treatment pathways including recommended referrals, trauma focused psychological therapy and psychological first aid to help support their management of emergency service workers. The training may also be relevant to other health professionals.

GPs often play a central role in the provision of healthcare to communities in the immediate, acute phase of emergency situations, and on an ongoing basis for the long-term recovery of individuals and their broader community. 

Emergency Service Workers are one of the high-risk groups for trauma exposure and are more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. These mental health conditions have significant impact on their employment, family/relationships, and wellbeing.

This workshop has been designed with a focus on GPs, to diagnose patients with acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other comorbidities. Evidence-based guidelines will be used as the foundation to appropriately diagnose and identify treatment pathways including recommended referrals, trauma focused psychological therapy, and psychological first aid to help support their management of emergency service workers. The training may also be relevant to other health professionals.

This training aims to increase participants’ skills and confidence to:

1. Understand the relationship between traumatic events and the development of mental health conditions
2. Identify evidence-based treatment and referral pathways for a patient impacted by trauma
3. Recommend evidence-based resources, including e-Mental Health, for family/kinship groups impacted by trauma.