How to help frontline workers

As the coronavirus crisis continues, the stress and trauma of working directly with those who have fallen ill have led to reports of frontline workers dying by suicide—a trend one expert says may only be “the tip of the iceberg.” Yahoo Life spoke with Dr. Jen Hartstein, Yahoo Life Mental Health Contributor and practicing psychologist, about the unique set of mental health challenges frontline workers, like doctors, nurses, EMTs and others who help keep things running, are facing during the coronavirus outbreak. “It’s easy to forget when we’re all feeling overwhelmed and anxious that the frontline workers are taking on the bulk of it and feeling equally overwhelmed and experiencing the same trauma—sometimes more—than the rest of us,” says Hartstein. “Many of the symptoms that they’re showing really are commensurate with traumatic distress, traumatic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and we have to be aware of how that’s going to play out over time,” she says. “As we come out of crisis mode, we’re really going to have to be present and ready for these people to support them as they struggle with reintegrating into society and into their real lives.” Hartstein says that not everyone who dies by suicide has a history of mental illness, which is why we have to be extra attentive at this time to the needs of frontline workers around us. “It’s a misconception to think that we need a diagnosis in order to die by suicide or in order to really struggle with PTSD,” says Hartstein. “When we experience trauma—as many of us are and as the frontline workers are—that changes our brain chemistry, that changes how we react in the world and it can lead to increased intensity of emotions,” she says. “We really have to keep our eye on these people and be there to support them.” If you’re a frontline worker who is struggling, Hartstein urges you to seek support. “The first thing you have to do is not be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to go to a boss, a colleague, a family member and say ‘hey, I’m feeling overwhelmed and I’m really struggling.’ It is a stronger move to ask for help than it is to suffer in silence,” says Hartstein. Resources available include the Crisis Text Line, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as various virtual therapy options. If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Video Transcript

JEN HARTSTEIN: It's easy to forget when we're all feeling overwhelmed and anxious that the frontline workers are taking on the bulk of it and feeling equally overwhelmed and experiencing the same trauma, sometimes more, than the rest of us. Today we're going to talk about what that might look like for them and how we can support them during this time.

Two months into the crisis, what we're starting to see is the toll that the stress and the trauma is taking on our frontline workers. We're hearing more reports of individuals dying by suicide, more reports of people really feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of their own sadness and disappointment and anxiety. And many of the symptoms that they're showing really are commensurate with traumatic distress, traumatic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder.

And we have to be aware of how that's going to play out over time because we're really only seeing the tip of the iceberg in this because we're still all in crisis mode. And as we come out of crisis mode, we're really going to have to be present and ready for these people to support them as they struggle with kind of reintegrating into society and into their real lives.

The people that are succumbing to suicide may never have had a diagnosed mental illness because it's a misconception to think that we need a diagnosis in order to die by suicide or in order to really struggle with PTSD. When we experience trauma, as many of us are and as the frontline workers are, that changes our brain chemistry. That changes how we react in the world. And that can lead to increased intensity of emotions and sometimes to choose to disengage from the world. So we really have to keep our eye on those people and be there to support them.

If you're a frontline worker and struggling, the first thing you have to do is not be afraid to ask for help. Don't be afraid to go to a boss, a colleague, a family member and say, hey, I'm feeling overwhelmed, and I'm really struggling. It is a stronger move to ask for help than it is to suffer in silence.

There are a lot of hotlines and access to help that you can reach out to. So there's the Crisis Text Line. There's the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Many states are starting mental health support lines that you can reach out to that can direct you into different areas to get the support you need. But you have to be able to ask. So if you notice that you're not feeling yourself, jump into that pool of help, and really use it.

Some of the things to look for in someone is any significant mood change. And that's hard to determine now because we're all kind of in a collective mood change but anything out of the ordinary.

Are they more detached? Are they not responding the same way that they used to? Are you seeing a shift in mood? Are you seeing any sort of behavioral change? Anything that gets your gut kind of on alert or your antenna up, follow that. Read that, and don't hesitate to ask the person how they're doing.

You're never giving somebody the idea of suicide if they're already thinking about it. So don't be afraid to ask, hey, I see that you aren't yourself. I feel like you're struggling. You've been really dealing with all this stuff and such an intense way. Are you OK? I'm worried about you. Are you thinking about hurting yourself? Any of those questions just opens the door for dialogue, and sometimes you might see someone feel very relieved that you asked.