Police Suicide

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Police Suicide has been an underlying problem in the Criminal Justice field for many years, and will most likely continue to progress for years to come if it continues to be ignored. The causes of this tragedy can be pointed to number of overwhelming factors but the most common causes of police suicide are PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and depression. PTSD can be broken down into two categories which are specific event caused PTSD and long term caused PTSD. Upon evaluation of officers who have been diagnosed with PTSD and depression, there have been differing methods of coping which are both positive and negative. Examples of healthy coping mechanisms would be therapy, exercise, and meditation. There are also unhealthy coping mechanisms …show more content…
Some of which are good and have lots of positive benefits, while other methods of coping can potentially do more harm than good. An example of a positive coping mechanism could be seeking professional help through therapeutic treatment. However, many people choose not to attend therapy sessions because they believe simply talking about their problems will not help them. In fact, therapy has been proven to lower suicide rates by about 26% (Lighthouse Recovery Institute,2018, para.2). Another positive coping mechanism is exercise. Short daily exercises can have a drastic effect on your confidence and physical fitness while also decreasing levels of anxiety and easing symptoms of depression (Mayo Clinic, 2017, para.2). In addition, people can also reduce their chances of becoming susceptible to depression which may lead to potential suicide by meditating. Meditation is a relatively lesser known style of relaxation and coping that tends to be ignored by most people. In Fact, meditation is known to boost neurotransmitters, which is the same thing anti- depressants do, however anti- depressants have many harsh side effects or may even simply not work for most people (EOC Institute, 2018, para.7). Coupled with these positive coping mechanisms are ways of coping with stress and depression that aren’t nearly as good for your body or well being in …show more content…
However, this misconception is false and can be the difference between life and death for someone. While these solutions may not be full proof or work for everyone, they should certainly be implemented in as many agencies as possible before more lives are lost. One possible solution could be peer support groups within small groups of officers or even one fellow officer. People struggling with PTSD or depression from tragic incidents or long term personal problems may be more likely to talk with a fellow officer than they are to spend money on a professional therapist. For example, there was an instance where a cop was retiring and on his last day he handed one of his fellow officers a bullet and explained that the bullet he gave to him was the same bullet he almost ended his own life with, luckily the other officer asked him if he wanted to go out for coffee that night. Therefore he had someplace to be and didn’t do it that night. One the night of his retirement he gave that same officer that took him out for coffee the bullet and said “I wanted you to have this and know that day you saved my life” (Cole Zercoe, 2015, para.5). That shows how powerful simply being there for another person who is struggling can be and how the support of one’s peers can be the
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