First Responder Exposure to Suicide
*Please be aware the content of this post contains specific information about suicide and may be disturbing or distressing to some readers; Reader discretion is advised.
Suicide exposure is personally knowing someone who has died by suicide or being in the presence of a suicide death.
For first responders, working the scene of a suicide is common.
In one study [Cerel et al., 2019] 813 officers in their sample reported they responded to ~30 suicides during their career.
In another study [Kimbrel et al., 2018] of 61 firefighters in their sample reported they responded to ~13 suicides during their career.
These exposures may be particularly difficult because of:
the violence of the scene,
the emotions of the survivors,
the reminders the scene may evoke of other events or people in their lives.
Remember that suicide exposure can affect all first responders involved, including 911 dispatchers, EMS, fire, police, coroner or medical examiner staff, forensic staff, and more.
First responders who are exposed to suicide scenes or who have lost a co-worker to suicide may benefit from additional support to function optimally after their experience/s. This is especially true given that research has shown that exposure to suicide can increase one’s own risk for suicide.
If you are personally looking for support after exposure to suicide or are interested in creating an agency culture of supporting staff after exposure/s to suicide, contact The Ridge today!
-Dr. Jena Casas, Ph.D.
