Barriers and Access to Care for Firefighters With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Seeking Ketamine-Assisted Therapy: A Qualitative Study.
other · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41540564.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003665 and PMC identifier 13290054.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Firefighters are exposed to a disproportionately high number of traumatic incidents and thus display elevated rates of trauma-related mental health disorders, with the reported average PTSD prevalence being 7.3% in firefighters versus 1.3%-3.5% in the general population. Oftentimes, conventional treatments demonstrate limited efficacy. Ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) has recently arisen with promising long-term results. The experiences of six firefighters who had enrolled in but not begun the Roots to Thrive (RTT) KAT program were investigated. Interviews were conducted pretreatment, and a thorough thematic analysis was performed. Four major themes were identified: (1) feeling stuck and reaching a breaking point, (2) stigma surrounding PTSD and the use of ketamine for treatment, (3) the importance of self-advocacy in navigating access to treatment, and (4) substantial financial and logistical barriers. This study highlights the importance of system-wide changes necessary to support treatment-seeking individuals.
Medical subject headings
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
- Firefighters
- Ketamine
- Health Services Accessibility