'A third of North East emergency service workers contemplate suicide'
A former Durham police officer told TFM he thought about taking his own life after 10 years of service.
A former Durham police officer says he thought about taking his own life after ten years of service.
Andrew Cowan was diagnosed with depression after being injured at work and struggled with long hours, pressures and traumatic incidents.
He said: "You'd take each day as it comes and some days you wish you weren't alive.
"Some mornings I just couldn't get out of bed, waking up and feeling worthless, feeling that there was no point.
"Like you were an embarrassment to everybody else, the family and the job, because you couldn't feel better about it."
It's as a report out today from charity Mind found 1 in 3 emergency service workers in our region have considered suicide due to poor mental health.
A staggering 90 per cent said they had some mental health problems, and two-thirds admitted they'd thought about leaving the profession.
There are calls from professionals and staff themselves for investment into better emotional support in the workplace.
Former officer Andrew added: "They check ears, eyesight and physical things, but they don't check your mental health.
"I think having something like an MOT for mental health every year as well as the fitness test, would go a long way to identifying some of these mental health issues."
The charity have been working alongside regional police forces to help train managers to spot the signs of mental health and ensure their staff are getting proper support.
Veronica Harnett from Redcar and Cleveland Mind has organised training sessions with Cleveland and North Yorkshire Police.
She said: "We've discussed with a lot of managers giving their staff space to talk about some of the things that they're experiencing.
"But because of the pressure they're under, they don't ever really have that.
"It's seen as a bit of a luxury."
Faye McGuinness, Blue Light Programme Manager, said: “It’s shocking that our Blue Light workers are experiencing such high levels of mental health problems, low mood and stress.
"The challenging nature of the job - with its unique pressures - can put staff and volunteers at greater risk of developing a mental health problem.
"That’s why it’s so important support is made available - to ensure dedicated workers are at their best and ready to carry out these incredibly difficult and life-saving roles we often take for granted."
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