Rhea Mahbubani and Dave Mosher
- Two medical workers on the front lines of the #coronavirus fight in New York died by #suicide in the past week: Dr. Lorna Breen, of NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, and John Mondello, an emergency medical technician.
- Medical workers face grueling workloads, unprecedented #stress, and steep death counts during the #pandemic.
- Psychologists say #stress for frontline workers could flare into chronic psychological problems if it’s not managed.
- There are ways to support workers in such high-pressure roles, but Dr. Shauna Springer, a licensed psychologist and trauma-recovery expert, advocates not calling them heroes. “There’s an invisible pressure that comes with that,” she said.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
The US Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds dashed across the clear blue sky above New York on Tuesday, honoring the people working on the front lines of the #coronavirus #pandemic.
Two medical workers didn’t get to experience the tribute.
Dr. Lorna Breen, the medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died Sunday from self-inflicted injuries. She was 49.
“Of my four children — well I guess now I’ve only got three — no one would’ve predicted that Lorna was having a hard time,” Dr. Philip C. Breen, her father, told Business Insider. “She would not even be on that list.”
Weeks of treating #COVID-19 patients, some of whom died before they could be transferred from the ambulance into the emergency room, took a toll on Lorna, her father said.
The case was similar for John Mondello, a 23-year-old in the New York City Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services. He’d been on the job less than three months before he killed himself on Friday, the New York Post reported.
As the #pandemic has left millions of people under lockdown and triggered deep loss and widespread grief, medical workers and emergency responders like Mondello and Breen have faced the brunt of the crisis with grueling workloads, unprecedented #stress, deep uncertainty, and a steep death count.
But while the situation is grim, #mentalhealthprofessionals say the situation is far from hopeless. There’s a lot that medical workers can do to help themselves — and many ways for the rest of us to help them.
‘They carry a heavy burden of responsibility’
Dr. Shauna Springer, a licensed psychologist and trauma-recovery expert at the Stella Center in Illinois, said that medical workers today are battling an invisible enemy that’s also upended their lives and forced them to step away from their own support systems.
“We’re relying on a small number of people who can do what nobody else can do,” Springer told Business Insider. “They’re working really long hours, they’re seeing these traumas that are burning into their minds, and they have very limited time to release.”
She added that medical workers were drawn to the profession to alleviate suffering and protect their patients. During the #pandemic, however, the virus has in many cases robbed them of the ability to achieve either goal.
They’re like “warriors in the war zone, taking risks, seeing their colleagues fall ill and potentially die, losing patients,” Springer said.
“They tell me that they carry a heavy burden of responsibility when they lose a patient,” she added, and that every life lost “can feel like a moral injury.”
Mondello had graduated from the EMS Academy in February and worked as an emergency medical technician at Station 18 in the Bronx. His friends described him as upbeat and outgoing but said it was jarring for him to see so much death and destruction.
“He told me he was experiencing a lot of #anxiety, witnessing a lot of death; he’d feel it was a heavy experience when he’d fail to save a life,” Al Javier, Mondello’s friend, told the Post.
EMS workers have faced an unprecedented loss of life lately.
Before the #pandemic, the average daily emergency 911 call volume was about 4,000 per day, with about 50 to 70 of those being cardiac arrests.
At the height of the first surge in cases, however, the FDNY EMS units fielded 5,000 to 7,000 calls daily. More than 300 were for patients experiencing cardiac arrest, about 200 of whom died outside of hospitals each day. (Some EMS leaders have said the death toll could have been lower if the industry had solved its chronic issues of turnover and retention before the crisis.)
Anthony Almojera, the vice president of the FDNY’s Local 3621 union in Brooklyn, said first responders were struggling to “compartmentalize” the nonstop tragedies they’re witnessing.
“I’m fighting this war against an enemy that’s going around randomly killing people, and it makes me feel hopeless. How do I shake that?” Almojera, a 17-year veteran paramedic, previously told Business Insider.
Helping those who protect us all
Laurie Nadel, a psychotherapist and author, characterized the #coronavirus as an “equal-opportunity destroyer” that’s forcing frontline medical workers to go “mano a mano with mortality on a larger scale” than ever before.
In the short term, she said, they face a greater risk of acute #stress, which can trigger #insomnia, exhaustion, loss of appetite, and mild depressive symptoms.
“Just like people get sick if they’re overexposed to this #virus, people also become psychologically ill if they’re overexposed to the kinds of stressors” that healthcare professionals deal with every day, Dr. Charles Marmar, the chair of the department of psychiatry and the director of the PTSD research program at New York University, previously told Business Insider.
But he said it’s necessary for healthcare professionals and first responders to manage their #stress to protect themselves from more “chronic psychiatric problems,” including post-traumatic #stress disorder, #depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. Not doing so can also prompt occupational, marital, and parental difficulties, he added, and make them vulnerable to #stress-related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
For the rest of us not on the front lines, Springer, the author of a forthcoming book titled “Warrior: How to Support Those Who Protect Us,” said we could help those we know embroiled in such work.
She advised listening to whatever a #healthcare worker may want to share without offering advice, as well as not asking what they need but anticipating what may help them — and stepping up to provide it when possible.
“Trauma is destabilizing in and of itself. And so they don’t have time to even think about what they need,” she said. “Those of us who are doing #socialdistancing, we can actually do things that will lighten their load so they can do things no one else can do. We could be asking ourselves: Could we take care of their kids or a beloved pet? Could we get groceries and drop it off?”
She added: “There is no reason why we should be sitting at home doing nothing that helps the people on the front lines if we have skills and ability to help.”
‘People are resilient until they’re not’
Both Springer and Marmar highlighted “peer-to-peer support” among workers as an effective support system, advocating five- to 10-minute huddles to “share their pain, sadness, or frustration” with others who face similar situations.
People on the front lines also need adequate time to “stand down” between shifts, whether it’s to sleep, eat, exercise, meditate, or connect with their family and friends, Marmar said.
Nadel agreed.
“Trying to save people’s lives in wartime conditions forces emergency medical teams to make triage decisions multiple times during a given shift,” she said. And even though this isn’t an actual war, Nadel added, the #pandemic is their battlefield, and “shortages of lifesaving equipment and split-second life-and-death decisions can become overwhelming.”
The type of chaos unleashed by the #coronavirus #pandemic not only triggers an adrenaline rush to save patients, Nadel said, but “overrides unwanted emotions, which can resurface after the crisis has been resolved.”
Springer said it’s important for anyone on the front lines of any emergency not to become convinced that they are superhuman — and for the rest of us to avoid labeling them as such.
“We mean well when we call them heroes, but there’s an invisible pressure that comes with that,” she said. “People are resilient until they’re not. And so people who are called out as resilient are often more reluctant to acknowledge human struggles and to reach out when they need help.”
Philip Breen, a retired trauma surgeon and burn surgeon, knows firsthand how horrible it feels when patients die.
He recalled nurses who worked in the burn unit alongside him experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, and #depression because of the conditions of some people they treated.
“When you have a patient who you can save, that’s the highest high you can imagine,” he said. “And when they die with your hands in them, that’s the lowest low you can imagine.”
As a doctor, Lorna Breen gave of herself fully, despite facing trauma frequently and from up close, her father said.
“I want her to be remembered as someone who did everything she could until it killed her,” he said.
Do you have a personal experience with the #coronavirus you’d like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.
Get the latest #coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how #COVID-19 is affecting industries.
If you or someone you know is struggling with #depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in #prevention and crisis situations.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
