Normalization, the report states, should begin before recruitment and extend through officers’ careers, and it must also bring in their families
by Colin Perkel and Liam Casey
Ontario’s Chief Coroner Dirk Huyer constituted the panel to investigate the #suicide of #policeofficers after what’s believed to be an unprecedented nine officers in the province died by #suicide last year. Several themes unique to policing emerged from the research
TORONTO — Destigmatizing #mentalhealthissues and providing quick access to quality care are critical to helping stop #policeofficers from killing themselves, a report released Wednesday has found.
The study by an expert panel comes up with seven “pathways” to better outcomes for #officers, whose #suicide rate is far above the national average. Key among them is to normalize #mentalhealth just like physical health.
“Removing #stigma from #mentalhealth in general society is an important goal for everyone,” the report states. “In policing, it is a goal that must be recognized and acted upon as an urgent priority.”
Normalization, the report states, should begin before recruitment and extend through officers’ careers, and it must also bring in their families.
#JamesDonaldsononMentalHealth –
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Ontario’s Chief Coroner Dirk Huyer constituted the panel after what’s believed to be an unprecedented nine officers in the province died by #suicide last year. Several themes unique to policing emerged from the research.
One key factor is #officer encounters with those in #mentalhealth trouble. By some estimates, up to 40 per cent of #police calls involve such people, who may be in crisis or even violent.
“Most #police members will soon come to regard any person with #mentalhealthissues as someone they would never want to be,” the eight-member panel states. “They often become disillusioned about the effectiveness of #mentalhealthcare.”
The upshot is that #officers develop a jaundiced view of the #mentallyill, which in turn leads them to deny their own problems and avoid seeking help.
“When they’re starting to feel symptoms, they say, ‘I’m not like those people’ and ‘I don’t want to be like those people,’ ” Huyer said in an interview. “They deny the symptoms, they don’t recognize the symptoms and they don’t want to be accepting those symptoms, because they don’t want to be like that person. And their partner doesn’t want them to be like that person.”
As a result, any sign that an #officer has even mild #mentalhealth problems can become a source of alarm for the individual and their colleagues. They may be seen, in #police parlance, as “broken toys.”
“Many #officers report becoming quite binary in their view of such things: either you are fit for duty, or you are not,” the report says. “Any loss or limit on your ability to perform the full scope of your duties can amount, in the mind of the individual, to a loss of your identity as a #policeofficer.”
That unique identity is another key factor driving #police #suicides, the panel found. For example, officers have far-reaching powers, frequently exercised under intense internal and external scrutiny; they respond to almost every #suicide; and they are duty-bound to confront danger rather than run from it.
Even when #officers or their families do want help, appropriate services can be maddeningly hard to find or afford, the report says. Substance abuse frequently becomes the substitute for proper treatment, and by the time officers seek help or are forced to do so, the situation has likely become more dire. Early recognition and intervention are crucial, the report says.
Also crucial is recognizing the complex interplay between on-the-job stressors and outside issues. Focusing only on at-work traumatic events can obscure other drivers, the report says.
“As our nine subjects travelled … to their tragic point of convergence, most had become disconnected from their employer and organizational supports,” the report says. “At the same time, most were also disconnecting from their family, friends and social supports.”
In all, the report makes 14 recommendations, among them asking the provincial government to develop the Ontario Police Members Mental Health Collaborative. Its duties would include designing a campaign aimed at normalizing #mentalhealth challenges.
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
