Alabama interim committee hears presentations on PTSD and traumatic brain injury, directs resources be added to Connect app

A joint interim committee of the Alabama Legislature on first responder mental health on Monday heard presentations from the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) and the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) about post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), and asked staff to add first‑responder resources to the state’s Connect mobile app ahead of the committee’s report to legislative leaders.

The ADMH presenter, identified in remarks as the state mental health commissioner, framed PTSD as a treatable reaction to traumatic events and reviewed risk factors for first responders, noting veterans and women have higher lifetime prevalence. “PTSD is not a personal failure or a weakness,” the commissioner said, and urged early intervention to reduce downstream risks such as depression, substance use and suicide.

ADMH demonstrated the Connect app — a free mobile tool with a services locator and mental‑health and substance‑use resources — and said a scheduled refresh will begin in roughly four to six weeks. Committee members were asked to identify additional first‑responder resources to include in the update so the revised app could be described in the committee’s upcoming report. The presenter also said the state’s in‑state 988 answer rate is 90.6 percent (the…