An anaesthetist and rural generalist at Proserpine Hospital, Dr Deborah Simmons OAM is used to treating patients in crises and helping Queenslanders in all kinds of locations and situations.
In May 2020, Deborah was working at Mackay Base Hospital and visiting Moranbah to help staff there prepare for COVID-19, when she received a call to say there had been a mine explosion at Moranbah, with an unknown number of people injured.
Deborah sprang into action as a first responder to treat five workers, four with severe burns.
It wasn't until later that the full gravity of the disaster and its effect on her mental health started to fully reveal itself.
'I felt like their lives were all in my hands'
"I felt like their lives were all in my hands and I had to make sure that I did everything I could to make sure that they got to Brisbane. I didn't realize how much it affected me until I did my first presentation on the incident," Deborah said.
Deborah was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and checked herself into a private psychiatric clinic in Townsville. Her treatment was supported by WorkCover Queensland.
She said having the support of her employer and the right team of treating professionals around her was key to starting her recovery and planning how she would safely transition back to work.
"The relief I had after I left that clinic was just amazing because I now had a plan of how to get better. I had a fantastic psychologist, brilliant psychiatrist, and then obviously everyone at work was very supportive and WorkCover rang me every month to make sure everything was going okay."
Now, after working hard on her recovery and slowly increasing her duties, Deborah is back to her pre-injury work. She says her experience after the Moranbah disaster has ultimately made her a better doctor.
Opening up the conversation
Deborah is keen to destigmatise seeking help for mental health, particularly for doctors and medical professionals. She says that opening up the conversation is the single most important thing.
"Even our new interns, I try and talk to them early on about mental health and making sure that you seek help if you need it... to try and demystify and get rid of that stigma," Deborah said.
"What I'd say to the people who might see these people struggling is to ask them if they're okay. Try and open up that conversation, because that's the hardest thing.
"I can't thank WorkCover enough because I would not be where I am today if they hadn't been so supportive with everything that I needed."
