Medical air transport professionals are usually the first to respond to emergency calls and trauma scenes are sometimes very stressful to handle with death and serious injuries being a part of it. Medical air transport professionals do not even get time to let the situation sink in as they are expected to act immediately. This can cause quite a lot of mental trauma to them. Added to this is the physical stress of the entire situation where they have to move the patient, equipment, etc., so that lives can be saved.
Common Mental Ailments among Medical Air Transport Personnel
Research shows that depression, PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, fatigue and anxiety are highly prevalent among medical air transport professionals. The tragedy of the matter is that they do not often get time to introspect into their mental wellbeing because of the situations that they often find themselves in where they are expected to be highly reactive to the surroundings. By the time they realize their mental state, they are already deep into these psychological ailments. While it is a shared responsibility of the employers and the personnel, here are some tips to stay mentally healthy.
Tips for Mental Health
- Increasing mindfulness through meditation: Meditation allows people to take a step back and introspect. All the deeply buried feelings come to surface and one becomes in-tuned with his or her own mental state. The ability to detach oneself from sufferings around is greatly increased.
- Confiding in others: Every person has friends or colleagues that they can talk to. Getting certain things out of our system can help. It’s a sort of an outlet. Medical air transport professionals can also make use of in-house psychologists to open up. Even keeping a journal can help.
- Exercising to reduce stress: Endorphins that result from exercise can get rid of stress to a huge extent. Air ambulance professionals must make physical activity of their choice a part of their daily routine.
Finally, it is vital that people speak out when they are under stress. There is nothing wrong in seeking help when it is warranted.
