James Donaldson on Mental Health – Nearly 1 in 5 Cops Has Considered Suicide Amid Stigma Around Mental Health Issues

Amid rising concerns about police officer suicides, an unprecedented survey by the News 4 New York I-Team has found there’s a startling need for mental health services that’s not being met.

In cooperation with Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), News 4 New York sent a confidential online survey to thousands of police officers to hear directly from them about the impact of post-traumatic stress on their lives, and to learn what services are available when they need help.

From across the U.S., nearly 8,000 police officers responded, overwhelmingly reporting that stressful or traumatic experiences on the job have impacted their mental health.

Among the struggles they say are directly connected to the job: 16 percent have had thoughts of suicide, 15 percent have struggled with substance abuse, 52 percent have experienced family and relationship problems and 61 percent are haunted by recurring or unwanted memories of incidents.

The FOP says the survey is unprecedented and highlights a critical need.

“The sad reality is more police officers commit suicide in a year than are killed in the line of duty and that’s consistently the same year after year,” said Sherri Martin, chairperson of the FOP’s National Officer Wellness Committee. “Police officers don’t want to admit that they need help, because it’s often seen unfortunately as they aren’t able to do the job.”

But police officers say getting mental health assistance can be tricky. Of those who responded to the survey, 90 percent said there is a stigma in law enforcement that creates a barrier to seeking help for emotional or behavioral health issues. Seventy six percent were concerned about putting their job at risk if they asked for mental health assistance and 85 percent worried about being seen as weak or unfit for duty.

Additionally, 80 percent say they have not used services provided by their department’s employee assistance program (EAP) for mental health issues related to their job. Of those who did use their EAP, 59 percent did not find it helpful.

“There are some departments across the country unfortunately that still don’t really offer a lot of mental health services or wellness services to their police officers,” said Martin. “And that’s where the survey is going to bring light to those vacancies and bring light to those shortcomings and help us develop better programs and resources.”

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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.

James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.

In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.

He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.

James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!

For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:

www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)

James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.

If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org