Public Safety committee  Yes, I agree. I also think that in terms of the suicides there's a lot of public attention, so it's sparking a lot of awareness and interest in this area. There are a lot of first responders who are dealing with the insurance and disability issues, which again has prompted this Ontario legislation.

Public Safety committee  I think even with things like employee mental health strategies, in which, first of all, you are assessing the culture and getting in there and providing some psycho-education, really getting people to start thinking about it and talking about it is a really good place to start.

Public Safety committee  I also agree that there are always gaps in the research and that we need more research. Even with me scouring the research more on the treatment side and more on even outcomes with evidence-based treatment, for example, a lot of what I've read has indicated that there's still room for more research, and that we still really need more research specific to first responders and veterans.

Public Safety committee  I agree with that. It's actually what I do with my clients as well. I also think that we really need to help people and facilitate an environment where people can feel free to talk about how they feel and what they're experiencing. Unfortunately, I think we've gone too long with people continually suffering from and dealing with these symptoms and being really afraid to talk about it in the workplace, because they're worried about what's going to happen.

Public Safety committee  You know, I guess I'd be torn as well. I think I can see that side of it, where people might think they would be revered, almost, if this is the route they would go. On the other hand, I've actually had first responders say to me that just seeing that somebody goes through suicide, even if they were kind of put on a pedestal, actually reminded them that there was a reason for them to live, and that was not the way they wanted to go.

Public Safety committee  I think it starts with assessing the culture of the workplace. I really think the stigma in the workplace is a major problem for people. I think the lack of support that first responders feel they experience in the workplace is a really big issue, and even before they admit they have PTSD or go for treatment, it really starts with that piece.

Public Safety committee  That's a good question. You know, when we're looking at PTSD, we often see comorbidity. So, we often see co-occurring depression, other anxiety disorders, panic disorder, or concurrent issues like alcohol or substance use as well. There are a number of other issues that come with PTSD or OSI, so we're looking at all of those together.

Public Safety committee  It's a good question. I am involved in some media work with public affairs, and from what I understand from my personal experience, they're very good, first of all, at vetting interviews that they think we should do and interviews that we should stay away from, ones that might lead to glorify the issue more and not really put the issue in the right perspective.

Public Safety committee  In terms of treatment, I know I've seen some research. For example, I believe Ruth Lanius has looked at some neurobiological differences in the brains of men and women in terms of how they experience PTSD. There's some evidence showing that men experience an increased level of arousal in different parts of their brain, whereas responses by women's brains are more dampened down.

Public Safety committee  Members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to share my perspective on this important topic. My name is Donna Ferguson. I am a clinical psychologist and practice lead at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.