A Seafarer Mental Health roundtable was held at the International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark, NJ. The roundtabe discussed current concerns regarding seafarers mental health and measures to improve seamen’s mental condition.
The parties that attended the roundtable discussed about seafarers’ medical certificates, and the mental health factors that must be considered when issuing them. They also discussed which diagnoses, therapies, and medications must be disqualified.
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Moreover, it was pointed out that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is not diagnosable until at least 6 months after the traumatic incident. The stigma that follows piracy survivors was discussed, as an increased awareness of the effects of trauma, often causes prejudice for crewmembers against survivors of such an attack.
Furthermore, various strategies were discussed to tackle the risk of suicide among seafarers, with training and awareness being the most important. SCI’s representatives presented the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshops, as well as e-learning tools to raise awareness of risks and intervention strategies.
Lastly, the creation of a form for mental health evaluations was suggested. Namely, the Seafarer Church Institute mentioned:
The feeling is that being on the front-end of an investment in health and wellness pays dividends by reducing claims for companies and maximizing productivity.
