Experts Call for Open Conversations on Policing and Mental Health

Trauma specialists and former police officers are urging more open conversations about the impact that policing can have on mental health .Experts want ongoing focus on the subject, especially at a time of recruitment and retention challenges.

"The initial impact is absolutely devastating, every aspect of your life just implodes," said Wendy McNish, who lost her husband Ray – a police officer at Echuca in northern Victoria – to suicide in 2016.That sentiment is familiar to former SA Police officer Matt Newlands — he was almost a decade into his career when he realised his mental health was in decline.

The 38-year-old acknowledged he made a foolish decision that ended his policing career, but also said it forced him "to find a new meaning and a new sense of life" — and he now spends his professional time supporting officers. Former Australian Defence Force special operations doctor Dan Pronk said the impact of those "very abnormal exposures" may not initially be evident among frontline workers.

Dr Van Hooff agreed. She said "service culture" could benefit officers but could sometimes act as a barrier to seeking help. "That might work in other environments, but it's not necessarily the best way to support this very unique and very challenging role." "They're thankless roles, I think there's often a lack of awareness of the individuals themselves within the roles of how much stress they're under, so they don't think to look for tools and strategies to be able to de-stress."For Wendy McNish, the agony of losing her husband wasn't made any easier by what she went through in the weeks that followed.

"We need to encourage service members to access care — whether that's internal to the police force or external, it doesn't matter.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

Police Mental Health Trauma Suicide Recruitment Retention

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