Obstacles to mental health treatment: Similarities and differences among first responder groups

Abstract

First responders have been shown to be at risk for several negative mental health outcomes. However, it is not always clear how to intervene to prevent these outcomes. One approach has been to try to reduce the obstacles to care that might be imposed by the profession or the organization. In this paper, we investigate whether the nature of these obstacles varies as a function of the type of job. A group of 1,485 first responders were studied. The results indicate a number of important specialty-related differences. The results are discussed in terms of how to tailor prevention programs to confront obstacles to care.