I'll start. I think there's a role for peer to peer support. I think that's what Vince said. I think is so important to be training first responders on crisis intervention and giving them that knowledge base, not only so they can apply it when they're out in public, but also so they can start to apply it amongst themselves. I think that's the important role. He may feel differently, but I think that's the important role for peer to peer support. When you work in a fire station or a police station, as Mr. Vaughan said, you have that sense of camaraderie, you have that culture, you're relying on each other, and you're in a position to pick up on things.
I think back now on my career and the relationship I had with some of the people I worked with. I realize now the things that I saw that were signals from people who needed help and were in crisis, but at the time you're not aware of them. You're absolutely right that you see the symptoms borne out as drug and alcohol-related dependencies. I look back at how this started. I remember back in 1993 a senior member of the fire department who was going to the chief at the time and who wanted to set up an EAP. He was a person who had suffered from alcoholism. In retrospect, I think it's clear that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was ahead of his time. EAPs now are all over the place. We are at the point now where it needs to move to the next stage. I think there's a role for peer to peer support, and that role may be to assist in the recognition of the condition, to assist the person to get further help, or at least to get the wheels turning to get that person help. I agree with what Vince says, that there comes the point where you need that professional help, and you have to turn elsewhere.
Briefly, I think the other thing that comes out is getting a network of therapists who are out there. As you say, it's hard to connect with someone. You connect better with peer to peer support. What we found as well is that there are some therapists who connect really well with people. A lot of our PTSD people may go through two or three professional therapists before they find someone they connect with.