Being punched, spat on, choked, violently thrown out of the bus, threatened with death, head-butted in the mouth, having objects thrown onto face or body, having a gun pointed at the face. Driving vehicles involved in suicides or fatal accidents, witnessing street crime or vehicle accidents involving serious injuries or death.

All of these are just some examples of traumatic incidents that bus drivers or subway operators within the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) go through.

TTC operators are trained professionals who work day in and day out to transport Toronto commuters from point A to point B, safely and conveniently. It’s a challenging job, and sometimes unpredictable when you’re carrying more than 400 million riders annually.

Although the TTC is doing everything it can to minimize the likelihood of assaults on its employees through numerous safety and security initiatives, they face a variety of traumatic incidents on a daily basis.

We often hear of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among war veterans, within the police force and firefighters, among rape victims or those who lived through natural disasters. But PTSD is also very much present with transit employees who are exposed to various traumatic events.

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that develops when a person witnesses or is confronted with an extreme traumatic event that has threatened one’s safety. A traumatic event makes a person feel intensely fearful or helpless or horrified.

Feelings of being powerless and helpless are the overriding emotions experienced by traumatized TTC employees. More often than not, they perceive that they don’t have much control over the incidents they encounter. This, in turn, exasperates their anxiety. The more unpredictable and uncontrollable the traumatic incident is perceived, the more likely the incident could trigger PTSD.

In a recent study on PTSD in Canada within the CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, it was found that the majority of people in Canada (more than 76 per cent) have been exposed to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. But not everyone goes on to develop PTSD.

Studies have shown that there are certain factors that increase the risk of developing PTSD. They are:

• Severe traumatic events that threatened life and body
• Events involving serious injuries or horrific images
• Events causing death or severe harm to another person
• Lack of social support after a trauma or experiencing high level of stress in everyday life.

There are three main types of PTSD symptoms, and not everyone will experience these in the same way:

1. Re-experiencing symptoms – this involve intrusive and upsetting memories of the traumatic event; bad dreams, flashbacks or a sense of reliving the event; feelings of intense psychological distress when reminded of the trauma (i.e. smell, noise, sound or location); intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (i.e. heart pounding, shortness of breath, nausea or sweating).  
2. Avoidance symptoms – this involves avoiding thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma; avoiding activities, places or people that are reminders of the trauma; an inability to remember important aspects of the trauma; loss of interest in activities; feeling detached from other people or feeling emotionally numb; having a sense of a limited future (i.e. no career ambition, no expectations for marriage or children or a normal life span). 
3. Increased arousal symptoms – this includes difficulty falling or staying asleep; irritability or outbursts of anger; difficulty concentrating; hyper-vigilance, or being constantly “on guard”; feeling jumpy and easily startled.

It’s important to know that after a traumatic event, almost everyone experiences some symptoms of PTSD, such as upsetting memories, bad dreams, irritability or avoidance. These are normal reactions. For most people, these symptoms gradually decrease over time.

It’s when you become more anxious and the symptoms become very distressing and increase over time that you might be suffering from PTSD. If day-to-day work- and home-life is suffering, then it’s important to seek help. 

There are various ways you can seek help and report workplace trauma at the TTC:

• Report it to Occupational Health
• Call the Employee Family Assistance Program
• Consult your family physician
• Approach your supervisor and/or to union representative. 

If needed, various arrangements can be made for you to receive appropriate treatment so that you can recover and regain your day-to-day functioning. Effective treatments are available if you suffer from PTSD following a traumatic incident, including: 

• Psychological Treatment-Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Pharmacological Treatment, if indicated
• Occupational Therapy/ Return to Work Coordination. 

With treatment and the support of your family and close friends, you can better cope with the upsetting memories and thoughts and overcome your symptoms related to the trauma. Most importantly, you will be able to move on with your life and regain your day-to-day life activities.