CMHA recognizes PTSD Awareness Day

27 June 2023

CMHA HPE joins individuals and organizations around the world in recognizing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Awareness Day.

PTSD Awareness Day was officially recognized for the first time in Ontario by the provincial government in 2019. PTSD is an anxiety disorder involving exposure to a traumatic event which could include crimes, natural disasters, accidents, war or conflict, or other threats to life. A person with PTSD could experience the event themselves or witness it happening to others.

While post-traumatic stress can affect anyone, health care workers, police officers, paramedics, firefighters and corrections staff are particularly at risk through their work. The unique workplace stress for first responders can lead to operational stress injuries, which include PTSD. Women, refugees and Indigenous people are also statistically at higher risk.

To support first responders – specifically firefighters at this time – CMHA Ontario offers Resilient Minds, an evidence-informed, peer-to-peer, skill-building program designed by and for career and volunteer firefighters across Canada to develop strategies to mitigate and better manage occupational stress and enhance personal resilience, resulting in informed and healthier teams. Learn more at www.ontario.cmha.ca/resilient-minds.