A career in law enforcement is extremely stressful, officers have to be constantly alert and ready to take action. Day after day of this amount of stress can cause officers to become fatigued. The constant cycle of fatigue has an effect on not only an officer’s physical health, but their emotional health as well. Statistics show that officers have had more suicidal thoughts than regular citizens (Baker, 2008). The emotional wellbeing of these officers can greatly affect their performance in the field, as well as the state of their personal lives. While there has been an increase in studies on the mental health of officers, as well as how officers survive the stress, they still do not have a complete understanding on how to manage it.
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Not only can it impair their ability to have a clear head while in the field, but it can also cause them to become depressed. More officers die from suicide than by the line of duty, sometimes the suicide is covered up to save the officer’s reputation, or for their family’s benefit (Miller, 1995). There have been many surveys trying to pinpoint the stress and how to manage it before things get so severe. There are six different types of coping, submissive, functional, diversion, relaxation, third-party support, cognitive restructuring, and transitory reinforcement. They have found that a high percentage of officers use relaxation, diversion, or submissive coping. The most preferred method of coping is to transfer the stress energy to something else, such as physical exercise, yoga, meditation, and hobbies. There are other officers that try to avoid the issue whether it be through drinking, smoking, watching TV, or sleeping (Balgaonakar et al., 2014; Webster, 2014). It is a stigma amongst officers to ask for help if they need psychologic help. If they admit that they are unstable then they face the question of competency in their job, and may be penalized for it (Miller, …show more content…
The new research that is being done to pinpoint and manage the stress officers face daily are just breaking the surface. With the joint effort of government research agencies, families of the officers, and their supervisors there will hopefully be more understanding on the mental health of an officer. More programs and support groups, for not only the officers, but their families, are being created (Dåderman et al., 2014). These are very beneficial to the officers that seek out the help they need in managing the stress of the job. Some officers go outside of the department to see a therapist. They may be more comfortable talking to a therapist that is not connected with the agency, and more apt to talk about their mental health without fearing repercussions (Dåderman et al., 2014). Every day we are gaining a better understanding of the mental health of police officers, and the toll the job takes on their wellbeing. This will help us to recognize and teach officers how to cope with the stress of the job. It will also help the families of officers a better understand what their loved one is going through and how to help them. This is a huge issue that they are just starting to address. This research may save the lives of many
Not only can it impair their ability to have a clear head while in the field, but it can also cause them to become depressed. More officers die from suicide than by the line of duty, sometimes the suicide is covered up to save the officer’s reputation, or for their family’s benefit (Miller, 1995). There have been many surveys trying to pinpoint the stress and how to manage it before things get so severe. There are six different types of coping, submissive, functional, diversion, relaxation, third-party support, cognitive restructuring, and transitory reinforcement. They have found that a high percentage of officers use relaxation, diversion, or submissive coping. The most preferred method of coping is to transfer the stress energy to something else, such as physical exercise, yoga, meditation, and hobbies. There are other officers that try to avoid the issue whether it be through drinking, smoking, watching TV, or sleeping (Balgaonakar et al., 2014; Webster, 2014). It is a stigma amongst officers to ask for help if they need psychologic help. If they admit that they are unstable then they face the question of competency in their job, and may be penalized for it (Miller, …show more content…
The new research that is being done to pinpoint and manage the stress officers face daily are just breaking the surface. With the joint effort of government research agencies, families of the officers, and their supervisors there will hopefully be more understanding on the mental health of an officer. More programs and support groups, for not only the officers, but their families, are being created (Dåderman et al., 2014). These are very beneficial to the officers that seek out the help they need in managing the stress of the job. Some officers go outside of the department to see a therapist. They may be more comfortable talking to a therapist that is not connected with the agency, and more apt to talk about their mental health without fearing repercussions (Dåderman et al., 2014). Every day we are gaining a better understanding of the mental health of police officers, and the toll the job takes on their wellbeing. This will help us to recognize and teach officers how to cope with the stress of the job. It will also help the families of officers a better understand what their loved one is going through and how to help them. This is a huge issue that they are just starting to address. This research may save the lives of many