{"id":2713,"date":"2019-12-03T21:23:41","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T21:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/?p=2713"},"modified":"2019-12-07T02:28:51","modified_gmt":"2019-12-07T02:28:51","slug":"anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD is a questions I’ve heard several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us will experience anxiety at some point when faced\nwith stressful situations. However, for many, it is a constant struggle that\nrequires medical support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is possible to get anxiety disorders under control with\nthe right treatment, which means that there are plenty of employment\nopportunities available to patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, can you be a\nfirefighter with Anxiety or ADHD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you can become a firefighter with both anxiety and ADHD.  Some candidates with mild symptoms that are under control will be successful firefighters. Make sure that you can deal with the roles you will take on without exposure to any triggers. Or, if you know that some triggers will be present, work on reducing their impact so that you can see provide the best service possible. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, I want to look at both anxiety and ADHD, as\nthe latter is another disorder that candidates have questions about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, I will discuss the potential risks and disqualifying\nfactors for those that undergo treatment for anxiety. Then I will talk about\nADHD and how it could be a positive trait in some cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I want to talk about the hiring process and the importance of honesty and positivity \u2013 whatever your condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your ability to work as a firefighter with anxiety depends\non the intensity and the triggers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your anxiety acute or mild? What triggers feelings of\nanxiety and how do they manifest themselves? These questions are all important\nin determining your suitability for the fire department. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mild anxiety in a small number of situations might not be a\nproblem if you can control the symptoms. Acute anxiety in a range of situations\nwith the risk of panic attacks is too extreme if you can\u2019t bring the situation\nunder control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t risk becoming a liability in the middle of a\nstressful situation if it may mean lives are in danger. However, I do want to\nnote that firefighting is actually classed as a good role for those with social\nanxiety by some mental health experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to really think about everything that a firefighter has to do in their job. This doesn\u2019t just mean fighting fires. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also means dealing with life or death medical emergency,\nmajor accidents, community outreach programs, strict training courses,\ncontinual studying and much more. If any of that induces any feeling of\nanxiety, you have to question if this is the career for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What medications do you take?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Another factor to consider is the medication that you take to reduce the symptoms of the disorder. Some drugs<\/a> aren\u2019t permitted by fire departments, so your prescription could be a problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xanax could be a concern; this pharmaceutical drug can have\nnegative side effects that would inhibit your ability to function in an\nemergency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true for other benzodiazepines such as Valium\nand Klonopin. These drugs can also be addictive, which would then raise concerns\nregarding substance abuse policies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To avoid these pharmaceutical drugs, some anxiety patients\nwill use medicinal marijuana where permitted. However, this would also\ndisqualify you from being a firefighter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most departments have strict rules about being completely\nclean from any substances, including tobacco. This is even the case in states\nwith legalized recreational marijuana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you be a firefighter with ADHD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another condition that firefighter applicants often talk\nabout in ADHD. Can you join the fire service if you have any kind of attention\nor hyperactivity disorder? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people that don\u2019t know anything about the condition may assume that you can\u2019t. How can someone with attention issue or hyperactivity handle a stressful job such as firefighting or EMT<\/a> work? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The truth is that you can actually handle the job pretty\nwell with this condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, there are those that state that ADHD is actually more of a gift and that firefighting suits those that have it. Therefore, perhaps we should actually be encouraging departments to hire more people with the condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADHD advocates talk about the superpower that you get when\nyou have the condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to these advocates, people living with ADHD tend\nto be better in a crisis. Their brains become calmer and they can switch off\nthe feeling of panic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is great for firefighters that need to handle a\ndeveloping situation or life-threatening risk. They are often happy to jump\ninto a situation and do what comes intuitively rather than mull things over. Again,\nthis can be perfect for the fire service where you need split-second decisions\nand reactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What candidates with ADHD might struggle with is the\ndown-time when they get bored. This is when some can get a bit fidgety and\ndifficult to deal with. However, those that focus on other tasks and studies\nshouldn\u2019t have a problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever your condition, be positive during your firefighter interview<\/a> and the rest of the hiring process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because there are no clear disqualifying factors for anxiety\nor ADHD in the medical, the decision of the department will come down to the\npsychological evaluation and the interview. The interview process is essential\nhere as it means that you can talk about your condition on a personal level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain what it means for your capabilities to work, your\nskill-set and your mindset more generally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain the medication you are on and how this keeps the\nworst traits of the condition under control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain your strengths and the positive side to having the condition \u2013 such as how it has allowed you to adapt, build strength and use other skills in life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you can do is be honest and be yourself. Some\ndepartments will happily recruit you if they feel you can keep the condition\nmanageable and prove to be an asset. Many are now more aware of anxiety in the\nworkplace and the need to support those with mental health issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, some will be less keen to work with people with\nmental health issues if they are under-resourced or don\u2019t know much about your\nparticular condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other resources you\nmay be interested in:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Can I be a firefighter with glasses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I be a firefighter with asthma?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I be a firefighter and be deaf?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I be a firefighter with depression?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I be a firefighter with diabetes?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or … <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD? | FireFighterNow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD is a questions I've heard several times. Many of us\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD? | FireFighterNow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD is a questions I've heard several times. Many of us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FireFighterNow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/firefighternowcom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-03T21:23:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-07T02:28:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"426\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Josiah Raiford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@firefighternow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@firefighternow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Josiah Raiford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Josiah Raiford\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e146aa78bc91e38b30623acbec83e00f\"},\"headline\":\"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-03T21:23:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-07T02:28:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/\"},\"wordCount\":1083,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Firefighter Knowledge\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/\",\"name\":\"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD? | FireFighterNow\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-03T21:23:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-07T02:28:51+00:00\",\"description\":\"Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD is a questions I've heard several times. Many of us\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":426,\"caption\":\"can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/\",\"name\":\"FireFighterNow\",\"description\":\"Your Guide To Fire, Rescue, and EMS\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"FireFighterNow\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/FFN-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/FFN-Logo.png\",\"width\":513,\"height\":513,\"caption\":\"FireFighterNow\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/firefighternowcom\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/firefighternow\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/firefighternow\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e146aa78bc91e38b30623acbec83e00f\",\"name\":\"Josiah Raiford\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/863b7ba78abfa6fc5b03c275e2512393?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/863b7ba78abfa6fc5b03c275e2512393?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Josiah Raiford\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/firefighternow.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD? | FireFighterNow","description":"Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD is a questions I've heard several times. Many of us","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD? | FireFighterNow","og_description":"Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD is a questions I've heard several times. Many of us","og_url":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/","og_site_name":"FireFighterNow","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/firefighternowcom","article_published_time":"2019-12-03T21:23:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-12-07T02:28:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":426,"url":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Josiah Raiford","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@firefighternow","twitter_site":"@firefighternow","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Josiah Raiford","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/"},"author":{"name":"Josiah Raiford","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e146aa78bc91e38b30623acbec83e00f"},"headline":"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD?","datePublished":"2019-12-03T21:23:41+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-07T02:28:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/"},"wordCount":1083,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg","articleSection":["Firefighter Knowledge"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/","url":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/","name":"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD? | FireFighterNow","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg","datePublished":"2019-12-03T21:23:41+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-07T02:28:51+00:00","description":"Mental health is so important in the fire service.  Can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD is a questions I've heard several times. Many of us","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/can-you-be-a-firefighter-with-anxiety-or-ADHD.jpg","width":640,"height":426,"caption":"can you be a firefighter with anxiety or ADHD?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/anxiety\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can You Be A Firefighter With Anxiety or ADHD?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/","name":"FireFighterNow","description":"Your Guide To Fire, Rescue, and EMS","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#organization","name":"FireFighterNow","url":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/FFN-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/FFN-Logo.png","width":513,"height":513,"caption":"FireFighterNow"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/firefighternowcom","https:\/\/twitter.com\/firefighternow","https:\/\/instagram.com\/firefighternow"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e146aa78bc91e38b30623acbec83e00f","name":"Josiah Raiford","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/863b7ba78abfa6fc5b03c275e2512393?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/863b7ba78abfa6fc5b03c275e2512393?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Josiah Raiford"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/firefighternow.com"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2713"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2713"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2737,"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2713\/revisions\/2737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}