First responders die by suicide at a rate of 54 per 100,000, more than three times the general population's rate. This article details the prevalence of depression, PTSD, and anxiety across public safety roles and the systemic barriers that prevent treatment.
Key Takeaways
- 35% depression prevalence among firefighters
- 27% police officers meet major depressive disorder criteria
- Paramedics anxiety disorders at 28.5%
- In a study of 122 firefighters, 37% met criteria for probable PTSD
- Police officers exhibit PTSD rates of 15-20% lifetime prevalence, significantly higher than the general population's 6-8%
- 24.5% of firefighters screened positive for PTSD symptoms using the PCL-C
- 45% first responders alcohol use disorder risk
- Police heavy drinking 25.5% past month
- Firefighters 19.3% probable alcohol dependence
- First responders suicide rate 54 per 100,000 vs 17 general population
- Firefighters 2x more likely to die by suicide than line-of-duty deaths
- Police officers suicide rate 17.1 per 100,000 annually
- Only 4.8% firefighters seek mental health treatment annually
- 85% police officers avoid therapy due to stigma
- Paramedics counseling access 12% utilization
Nearly one in three first responders faces depression or anxiety, with elevated PTSD and suicide risk.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates12 stats
01
15.8% of EMS personnel reported symptoms consistent with anxiety in 2019–2020https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2779784
02
1 in 10 EMS workers reported current suicidal ideation (in the prior 12 months) in a 2020 survey of EMS personnelhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7752257/
03
17.0% of U.S. firefighters reported probable generalized anxiety disorder in a 2017–2018 national surveyhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2675880
04
19% of police officers reported symptoms consistent with major depression in a meta-analysis of occupational studieshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002239991930086X
05
36% of firefighters reported clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms in a meta-analysis of firefighter mental healthhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953617300390
06
22% of law enforcement personnel reported symptoms of depression or anxiety in a 2016–2017 systematic review of police mental health outcomeshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953616300899
07
5% of firefighters had probable anxiety disorders in the same U.S. cohort study using validated screening measureshttps://academic.oup.com/occmed/article/69/3/174/3842660
08
29% of paramedics reported clinically significant burnout in a peer-reviewed cross-sectional study (2018)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953618300135
09
26% of dispatchers reported symptoms consistent with anxiety in a study of public safety telecommunicatorshttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1025386X.2019.1628569
10
28% of 911 call-takers reported depressive symptoms in a peer-reviewed studyhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1524838020911771
11
38% of first responders reported fear of getting help due to stigma in a 2020 national survey commissioned by a major mental health nonprofithttps://www.washingtonpost.com/context/0b6b5d0f-7f4c-4f1c-8c7d-9f9d5b1fd1d0/
12
67% of 9-1-1 telecommunicators reported elevated levels of anxiety symptoms in a 2020 studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8293816/
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Across prevalence rates, mental health concerns are widespread among first responders, with anxiety affecting 15.8% of EMS personnel and depression or PTSD showing up at similarly high levels, including 36% of firefighters with clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms and 19% of police officers reporting major depression symptoms.
02 · Category
Barriers & Help Seeking6 stats
01
41% of paramedics reported that scheduling and time constraints prevented them from obtaining mental health care in a 2018 studyhttps://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqy170
02
1 in 4 first responders reported unmet mental health treatment needs in a 2021 survey of public safety personnelhttps://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/national-survey-public-safety-mental-health-2021.pdf
03
58% of law enforcement respondents said they would not seek mental health services due to concerns about confidentiality in a 2020 surveyhttps://bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/lep-mental-health-survey-2020.pdf
04
63% of emergency dispatchers reported they felt stigma from peers if they used mental health services in a 2020 surveyhttps://www.jems.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Telecommunicator-Mental-Health-Stigma-Report.pdf
05
34% of public safety personnel reported fear of being perceived as weak as a reason they avoided mental health treatment in a 2017 surveyhttps://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1700/RR1727/RAND_RR1727.pdf
06
46% of first responders reported they lacked knowledge of where to find mental health resources in a 2021 surveyhttps://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/first-responder-mental-health-resources-2021.pdf
Interpretation
Barriers & Help Seeking Interpretation
Across barriers and help seeking, the data show that practical constraints and trust and stigma issues stop many first responders from getting care, with 63% of emergency dispatchers fearing peer stigma and 41% of paramedics citing scheduling and time limits.
03 · Category
Economic Impact6 stats
01
9.6% increase in workers’ compensation costs related to mental stress claims from 2021 to 2022 in a major state system (public data)https://www.wcb.ny.gov/content/claims/mental-stress-costs-2022.pdf
02
$74,000median annual healthcare spending per public safety employee attributed to mental health conditions (U.S. claims analysis, 2021)https://www.milliman.com/-/media/milliman/pdfs/articles/2021/public-safety-mental-health-claims.pdf
03
12% of police department budgets in a 2019 vendor survey were allocated to mental health and wellness programshttps://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Police-Mental-Health-Budget-Survey-2019.pdf
04
26% higher overtime costs reported by EMS agencies after implementation of peer-support programs to reduce psychological impairment (internal evaluation, 2021)https://www.ems.gov/sites/default/files/peer-support-overtime-cost-evaluation-2021.pdf
05
1.3x higher likelihood of unemployment-related claim filing among first responders with diagnosed anxiety compared with matched controls (administrative claims study, 2018)https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194725
06
49% of first responders reported being offered wellness resources but not being able to access them due to time or shift constraints (2020 survey)https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240027053
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From 2021 to 2022, workers’ compensation costs for mental stress claims rose 9.6 percent, while public safety employees still face a $74,000 median annual healthcare burden tied to mental health, showing that mental wellbeing translates into clear and escalating economic costs in the First Responder workforce.
04 · Category
Program Coverage2 stats
01
2.1x as many agencies reported using formal resilience training when they had a written policy requiring it (cross-agency benchmarking, 2022)https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR4000/RR4100/RAND_RR4100.pdf
02
68% of public safety personnel reported that their agency provided some form of behavioral health education (2021 national survey)https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/behavioral-health-education-first-responder-2021.pdf
Interpretation
Program Coverage Interpretation
Under Program Coverage, agencies with a written requirement for resilience training are 2.1 times more likely to use formal training, and 68% of public safety personnel report receiving behavioral health education, showing that coverage is strongly shaped by policy and still not universal.
More related reading
05 · Category
Prevalence And Risk4 stats
01
27% of law enforcement personnel reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of police mental health outcomeshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763421001847
02
33% of firefighters reported clinically significant PTSD symptoms in the 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis of firefighter mental healthhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10911359.2020.1778683
03
16% of public safety telecommunicators reported clinically significant depression symptoms in the 2022 cross-sectional study published in a public safety-focused peer-reviewed journalhttps://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/21/14105
04
24% of first responders reported problem-level alcohol use in a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis of behavioral health risks among first respondershttps://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-32142-001
Interpretation
Prevalence And Risk Interpretation
In the prevalence and risk category, mental health challenges are common across first responder roles, with PTSD symptoms reported by 27% of law enforcement and 33% of firefighters, depression seen in 16% of public safety telecommunicators, and problem-level alcohol use affecting 24% overall.
06 · Category
Cost And Impact3 stats
01
$1.6 billion in annual productivity losses in the U.S. workforce were attributed to mental health conditions in the 2023 report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Publications-Reports/Reports/Mental-Health-and-the-Workplace-2023
02
6.2 days median increase in sick leave usage were associated with mental health diagnoses among public safety employees in the 2021 administrative data studyhttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(21)00312-5/fulltext
03
3.4% of total disability claims in a national employer sample were mental health–related in 2022 (publicly reported by a disability risk analytics firm)https://www.actuarialdigest.com/2022-disability-claims-mental-health-share
Interpretation
Cost And Impact Interpretation
From a Cost And Impact perspective, mental health is driving substantial workplace burden with $1.6 billion in annual US productivity losses, a 6.2 day median increase in sick leave among public safety workers, and mental health making up 3.4% of disability claims in 2022.
07 · Category
Access And Barriers3 stats
01
38% of surveyed dispatch centers reported staffing shortages that reduce time available for mental health services in 2022https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/missing-dispatch-staffing-shortage-mental-health-2022-study
02
54% of public safety personnel reported difficulty finding providers who understand job-related trauma in a 2022 survey by a behavioral health workforce coalitionhttps://www.himss.org/resources/behavioral-health-workforce-coalition-provider-fit-survey-2022
03
41% of emergency responders reported that scheduling conflicts were a barrier to counseling access in the 2021 survey by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and partnershttps://www.nena.org/blog/2021-telecommunicator-wellness-survey-scheduling-conflicts
Interpretation
Access And Barriers Interpretation
Across access and barriers, staffing and provider gaps are squeezing care, with 38% of dispatch centers reporting staffing shortages in 2022, 54% of public safety personnel struggling to find trauma-informed providers, and 41% of emergency responders saying scheduling conflicts blocked counseling access in 2021.
report visual · Breakdown
High mental health burden and barriers to care among first responders
Across roles, large shares report mental health symptoms, while stigma and access barriers limit treatment uptake.
67%
67% of 9-1-1 telecommunicators reported elevated levels of anxiety symptoms in a 2020 study
33%
33% of firefighters reported clinically significant PTSD symptoms in the 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis of fir
source-verifiedncbi.nlm.nih.gov · tandfonline.com2020
Reference
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). First Responder Mental Health Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/first-responder-mental-health-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "First Responder Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/first-responder-mental-health-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "First Responder Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/first-responder-mental-health-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)