Pressures of Events and Position Magnify Desolation

This post was written by Dr. Richard Lumb.

The mental health system in the United States is excellent. The issue is insufficient utilization. We avoid reference to mental health issues, including stress, adversity, and trauma, a negative label to prevent. Nevertheless, there are proven methods to fortify oneself and assist others, establishing skills and knowledge to reduce detrimental influences.

Adversity is particularly troubling during a national crisis, such as the coronavirus epidemic. It has created worry, fear of the unknown, and awareness that losing control is a real possibility, which further exacerbates concerns. And for many professional service providers, it increases the demand for help.

For decades, we have hard-pressed programs for law enforcement and first responders, in response to their continuous encounter with calls for service that include unruly and threatening people, chaotic events, and foreboding situations. Police and first responders encounter exposure to stress, adversity, and trauma as part of their job duties. Over time, unrelenting exposure may lead to what the military labels as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or, as we have labeled it, accumulated stress adversity and trauma (ASAT), a condition that has the potential of altering normalcy, increasing concerns, and leading to uncharacteristic behavior. These situations are not exclusive to this single group but may occur to anyone.

Acquiring and strengthening resilience bolsters the individual and helps maintain balance in life.

Guest blogger: Dr. Richard Lumb is a former associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Northern Michigan University, and he is Emeritus from the State University of New York at Brockport, where he was chair of the Criminal Justice Department. He has served in several community organizations, including two-term Board Chairman of the York County Counseling Services and Chairman of the Governor's Mental Health Advisory Council for the State of Maine. He served on the Board of Directors for Tri-County Mental Health Services in Maine and is engaged with Maine Resilience, a program that focuses on managing stress, adversity, and trauma. Maine Resilience is working the FEMA, Region I, to bring resilience train-the-trainer programs to individuals and communities.