There are plenty of policies and laws in place that provide mental health services to individuals in our society. However, these mental health services are not necessarily required. The only institutions that seem to require some consistent type of mental health evaluation or service are mental institutions and prisons. There are plenty of civilians that may need these services but may not realize that they need it, or simply won’t take advantage of them. The general public may not need these evaluations to function in their personal lives and careers, but it has been shown that being a police officer could have massive psychological effects on the officer.
Being a police officer requires a substantial amount of mental stability. There are …show more content…
A reasonable time period would be every two years. From there, the psychologist would compare those evaluations to previous evaluations: either the screening in evaluation done during the selection process, or the previous evaluation done two years beforehand. Based on this information, the psychologist would develop a “mental health review”. This can vary since it would depend on the mental needs of the individual. It can include monthly or weekly hour-long therapy sessions in a group or private setting, or even life and self-help seminars. The psychologist may also recommend family therapy as well as psychotropic medication. If psychotropic medication were needed, the individual would be recommended to a psychiatrist who would most likely work together with the psychologist to help the individual as best they can, so that he/she can hopefully continue their career in the police force. Many may argue that the selection process of becoming an officer seems to take care of the mental issues that could possibly affect the officer’s career in the future. Although this process is very valid, it completely disregards the possible mental issues that could develop due to the newly found stressors the officer may be exposed to when on the job. Stress factors can be divided into three categories: stress regarding threats (physical or psychological), the evaluation system surrounding the officers, and the stress of organizational
Being a police officer requires a substantial amount of mental stability. There are …show more content…
A reasonable time period would be every two years. From there, the psychologist would compare those evaluations to previous evaluations: either the screening in evaluation done during the selection process, or the previous evaluation done two years beforehand. Based on this information, the psychologist would develop a “mental health review”. This can vary since it would depend on the mental needs of the individual. It can include monthly or weekly hour-long therapy sessions in a group or private setting, or even life and self-help seminars. The psychologist may also recommend family therapy as well as psychotropic medication. If psychotropic medication were needed, the individual would be recommended to a psychiatrist who would most likely work together with the psychologist to help the individual as best they can, so that he/she can hopefully continue their career in the police force. Many may argue that the selection process of becoming an officer seems to take care of the mental issues that could possibly affect the officer’s career in the future. Although this process is very valid, it completely disregards the possible mental issues that could develop due to the newly found stressors the officer may be exposed to when on the job. Stress factors can be divided into three categories: stress regarding threats (physical or psychological), the evaluation system surrounding the officers, and the stress of organizational