Police Trauma Syndrome - Mental Health of Law Enforcement

Police Trauma Syndrome - Mental Health of Law Enforcement

While Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) is Stella's preferred phrasing for this topic, many people still use the term PTSD, and it will be referred to as such throughout the article.

About one-half of all U.S. adults will experience at least one traumatic event in their lives, but most do not develop PTSD. For law enforcement, it's an entirely different story. As first responders, they stand face-to-face with traumatic events on a daily basis. From medical emergencies to natural disasters and violent crime, exposure to trauma for police officers, detectives, and even correctional officers is inevitable.

Law enforcement is asked to have "tough skin" while on the job, but responding to and witnessing repeating traumas can take a toll on the mental health of those that protect and serve, especially for those with over five years of service. 

 

 

Post-traumatic stress among law enforcement, particularly police officers, is higher than one may think.

  • 35 percent of police officers have PTSD (vs. 6.8 percent of the general population).
  • 9-31 percent of police officers have Depression (vs. 6.7 percent of the general population).
  • 55 percent of police officers reported that they consider quitting their job on a daily or weekly basis.
  • The majority of police officers reported that they often feel trapped or helpless in their job at least once per week.

This weight can disrupt not only our professional lives but our personal lives as well and also lead to suicidal thoughts among some of the law enforcement population. 

  • 7.8 percent of police officers have pervasive thoughts of suicide.
  • Law enforcement personnel are 54 percent more likely to die by suicide than all decedents with a usual occupation (13 out of every 100,000 people die by suicide in the general population – that number increases to 17 out of 100,000 for police officers).
  • African Americans in law enforcement are two times more likely to die by suicide. 

How "Police Trauma Syndrome" Addresses Unique Law Enforcement Experiences

Law enforcement and emergency personnel have repeated exposure as they respond to traumatic events and therefore have different experiences with trauma than individuals with PTSD typically do. The first stage of PTSD is impact, and while police officers' experience impact from the traumas they face, they may compartmentalize to limit the fear they feel.

To acknowledge this unique relationship police officers have to PTSD, some professionals in the mental health field approach law enforcement trauma differently. Dr. Beverly Anderson coined the term "Police Trauma Syndrome" to explain PTSD and anxiety in police officers. Law enforcement personnel are in a unique position because their symptoms do not necessarily fully align with the DSM-V's definition of PTSD, but there are shared traits and responses, such as anxiety or denial and the potential for recovery. The term "Police Trauma Syndrome" acknowledges those nuances.

While "Police Trauma Syndrome" can be considered under the umbrella of PTSD, it is not an official term used in the DSM-V as a separate condition, but it does have diagnostic potential.


Law Enforcement and Their Mental Health Care Access


Many in the force are reluctant to seek out mental healthcare for the traumas that have built up over time. Most officers cite reasons as the stigma and fear that seeking assistance is a sign of personal weakness, followed by fear of job loss or repercussions in the workplace.

 

 

According to a 2020 study involving 400 Dallas Police department personnel printed by JAMA, the Journal for the American Medical Association, there are four main barriers to mental health care among law enforcement: 

 

  1. The inability to recognize when they are experiencing a mental health issue
  2. Concerns regarding confidentiality
  3. Belief that mental health professionals cannot relate to those working in law enforcement jobs
  4. Notion that those who seek mental health services are unfit to serve as officers in the criminal justice system

Progress Is Being Made


There are many organizations out there that are actively working to heal mental health challenges and emotional trauma. One of those companies on the frontline is Stella, a mental health company offering effective, cutting-edge individual and combination treatments like the Dual Sympathetic Reset, an advanced version of the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB), Ketamine Treatment and Integration Sessions, and Trauma-Informed Talk Therapy Curriculums. 

The Dual Sympathetic Reset involves two injections by a trained Stella doctor near a group of nerves on one side of the neck, resetting your fight or flight response to its pre-trauma state. It relieves symptoms like continual sleep disturbance, anxiety and irritability, hypervigilance, difficulty concentrating, and jumpiness. Many of those symptoms are associated with PTSD, which Stella refers to as PTSI -- Post Traumatic Stress Injury.

Stella also partners with many individual non-profit groups like the First Responder Support Network, Next Rung, Chicago Police Marines, and The Wounded Blue to provide Treatment by Stella to first responders in need. 

"In accordance with our mission to finance evidence-based treatment opportunities, working with STELLA is absolutely essential," said Charlie Brown, Director of Operations at Next Rung. "Stella and the DSR treatment is a light shining in the mental health darkness, providing a path to recovery and healthy living. We, at Next Rung, are excited to be able to bring that light to as many as possible."

And recently, government organizations are giving more assistance to first responders and mental health treatments, but in recent years, one of the most notable organizations is COPS Office. 

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) was established through the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and provides assistance with community policing and creates initiatives to advance the mental health and wellness of law enforcement officers in each community.

 

 

And, in 2018, with the help of the COPS Office, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act ( LEMHWA) was signed into law. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, this act called for the DOJ to submit a report to Congress on mental health practices and services in the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs that could be adopted by federal, state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies and containing recommendations to Congress on the effectiveness of crisis lines for law enforcement officers, the efficacy of annual mental health checks for law enforcement officers, expansion of peer mentoring programs, and ensuring privacy considerations for these types of programs. 

To learn more about Stella's nonprofit partners or to inquire about a partnership, please contact [email protected].

Expanding Treatment Accessibility for First Responders


Though the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment itself has been around for over a century and has been used to treat veterans and special force operators for years, the Dual Sympathetic Reset (DSR), an advanced version of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB), is fairly new to the public. 

Mental trauma often results in debilitating symptoms that can originate from the sympathetic nervous system's fight or flight response. When individuals suffer from trauma-related symptoms, oftentimes, this fight or flight response is still in "high gear" after the trauma.

The DSR procedure interacts with the sympathetic nervous system to help restore normal psychological function and can address the biological symptoms associated with trauma. Using image-guidance techniques such as ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and computed tomography, a licensed medical doctor injects a local anesthetic into a bundle of nerves found near the base of the neck. 

"The SGB procedure been life-changing for many of our colleagues," said Paul Zogg, who runs the Chicago Police Marines.

The treatment can help support the brain's natural fight or flight response and can lead to a restored sense of safety and calm. Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) has been shown to have dramatic positive effects and can also help accelerate the positive impact of other therapies.

Stella and the Dual Sympathetic Reset


At Stella, 81% percent of those experiencing trauma found relief from the Dual Sympathetic Reset. Over 4,500 people in over 40 locations around the world have been treated, many of them first responders. Luis, a law enforcement officer hurt in the line of duty, received Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) and experienced life-changing results, which you can hear about here.

Randy, the founder of The Wounded Blue, a nonprofit organization helping first responders, said this of his DSR treatment, "My anxiety level diminished demonstrably. We have now sent a number of first responder patients to Stella - people who were struggling even with suicidal ideation - and it worked. It really worked. Everyone tells us, 'thank you, this changed my life'. I know that for some of these men and women, this has been a miracle.

While seeking mental health solutions can be difficult in a culture where having "tough skin" is either expected or engrained over time to compartmentalize and cope, it is important for the lives and well-beings of every person, especially law enforcement personnel.

 

 

If you're depressed, anxious, or experiencing suicidal thoughts, you deserve the appropriate care. There are strategies and treatments in place, and policies being created that help give you access to the care you need as law enforcement officers. If you are hesitant to find the care you deserve, please know that it's a click away. 

Learn more about the Dual Sympathetic Reset and gain new knowledge about the treatments that are changing first responders' lives daily. Additional research from COPS Office is available below to assist the advancement of mental health awareness in law enforcement. 

 

 

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