Ems Mental Health Statistics

52% of healthcare workers report burnout—see how EMS mental health data explains the strain behind high-stakes care.
Magnus ÖbergAdrien Chevalier

Written by Magnus Öberg

Fact-checked by Adrien Chevalier

Statistics
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Sources
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Sections
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Reading time
7 minutes
Mental health challenges span communities, workplaces, and emergency services. This page covers key findings on depression, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and suicide, along with what they mean for EMS clinicians and other first responders. We also highlight support gaps and workplace effects—such as sleep problems and mental health symptoms interfering with job duties—plus the wider health and economic consequences.

Key Takeaways

  1. 174% of organizations provide access to mental health resources that include online counseling or digital tools (2024 survey).
  2. 2In 2023, 8.4% of U.S. adults reported symptoms of major depressive disorder based on screening
  3. 320% of U.S. adults reported feeling emotionally exhausted at least once in the last two weeks (2023 survey).
  4. 43.7% of U.S. employees reported they experienced an anxiety-related disorder serious enough to require time off work in 2023
  5. 5US suicide rate was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2022 (age-adjusted), per vital statistics data
  6. 61.2 billion workdays were lost globally due to depression and anxiety in 2016 (WHO estimates)
  7. 712.1% average annual increase in U.S. disability costs attributed to mental disorders between 2013 and 2022 (OECD disability spending trends dataset).
  8. 8$225.8 billion estimated U.S. economic cost of anxiety disorders in 2020 (includes healthcare costs and lost productivity; Anxiety & Depression Association of America summary of peer-reviewed estimates).
  9. 9$210.5 billion estimated U.S. economic cost of depression in 2020 (includes healthcare costs and lost productivity; ADAA summary of peer-reviewed estimates).
  10. 1031% of first responders reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in a meta-analysis published in 2020
  11. 1159% of EMTs and paramedics reported experiencing burnout symptoms in a national survey
  12. 1213% of people diagnosed with PTSD were still symptomatic after 1 year in an individual-participant data meta-analysis (post-treatment natural course; publication reported in the meta-analysis).
  13. 1339.4% of workers with depression had at least one work-limiting health condition in the prior month (U.S. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey analysis reported by NBER/peer-reviewed study).
  14. 142.5% of adults in the U.S. had used mental health services in the past 12 months among those with a mental health condition (Medical Expenditure Panel Survey analysis).
  15. 1534% of EMS clinicians reported sleep problems associated with stress

With rising burnout and depression nationwide, EMS clinicians need better mental health support and access.

Related reading

01Industry Overview

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  1. 174% of organizations provide access to mental health resources that include online counseling or digital tools (2024 survey).
  2. 2In 2023, 8.4% of U.S. adults reported symptoms of major depressive disorder based on screening
  3. 320% of U.S. adults reported feeling emotionally exhausted at least once in the last two weeks (2023 survey).
  4. 452% of healthcare workers reported burnout in 2022, including EMS and other clinical roles, per a cross-industry meta-assessment summarized by WHO.
  5. 54.5% of U.S. adults had serious psychological distress in the past month in 2022
  6. 666% of EMTs and paramedics reported that they experience burnout symptoms at least occasionally (national survey).
  7. 717% of EMS personnel reported that they had experienced thoughts of self-harm (survey).
  8. 852% of EMS agencies reported using peer support as a mental health resource

More related reading

02Cost And Impact

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  1. 13.7% of U.S. employees reported they experienced an anxiety-related disorder serious enough to require time off work in 2023
  2. 2US suicide rate was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2022 (age-adjusted), per vital statistics data
  3. 31.2 billion workdays were lost globally due to depression and anxiety in 2016 (WHO estimates)
  4. 4$2.2 trillion in projected annual economic cost of mental disorders worldwide in 2010 (includes lost earnings, disability, and healthcare)
  5. 5The expected lifetime economic cost of suicide is estimated at $1.9 million per suicide death in the U.S. (value-of-statistics estimate used in economic studies)

More related reading

03Cost Analysis

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  1. 112.1% average annual increase in U.S. disability costs attributed to mental disorders between 2013 and 2022 (OECD disability spending trends dataset).
  2. 2$225.8 billion estimated U.S. economic cost of anxiety disorders in 2020 (includes healthcare costs and lost productivity; Anxiety & Depression Association of America summary of peer-reviewed estimates).
  3. 3$210.5 billion estimated U.S. economic cost of depression in 2020 (includes healthcare costs and lost productivity; ADAA summary of peer-reviewed estimates).

04Workforce Mental Health

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  1. 131% of first responders reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in a meta-analysis published in 2020
  2. 259% of EMTs and paramedics reported experiencing burnout symptoms in a national survey

More related reading

05Long Term Outcomes

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  1. 113% of people diagnosed with PTSD were still symptomatic after 1 year in an individual-participant data meta-analysis (post-treatment natural course; publication reported in the meta-analysis).
  2. 239.4% of workers with depression had at least one work-limiting health condition in the prior month (U.S. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey analysis reported by NBER/peer-reviewed study).
  3. 32.5% of adults in the U.S. had used mental health services in the past 12 months among those with a mental health condition (Medical Expenditure Panel Survey analysis).

More related reading

06Outcomes & Burden

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  1. 134% of EMS clinicians reported sleep problems associated with stress
  2. 213% of EMS personnel reported that mental health symptoms negatively affected their ability to perform job duties

Cite this report

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APA
Magnus Öberg. (2026, September 21). Ems Mental Health Statistics. Statpit. https://statpit.com/ems-mental-health-statistics
MLA
Magnus Öberg. "Ems Mental Health Statistics." Statpit, 21 Sep 2026, https://statpit.com/ems-mental-health-statistics.
Chicago
Magnus Öberg. 2026. "Ems Mental Health Statistics." Statpit. https://statpit.com/ems-mental-health-statistics.

Sources and references

23 datasets cited across this report. Attribution is report-level.

eapassn.orgbls.govcdc.govapa.orgnchstats.comdata-explorer.oecd.orgwho.intsamhsa.govadaa.orgsciencedirect.comthelancet.comjamanetwork.compubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govncbi.nlm.nih.govnationalacademies.orgajgponline.orgems.govnasemso.org

4 additional datasets are cited and not shown individually.