2023-11-16 11:12:48
Suicidal behavior remains taboo in society and even more so in the police, although they are more concerned than the general population. How to identify police officers at risk? How to prevent? This guide developed by the Joint Association for Occupational Health and Safety of Quebec presents validated programs and interventions.
The nature of police personnel’s work often involves being at the forefront of human distress. Assault, violence, neglect, psychological health problems, poverty and even death can be part of their daily life.
This work context can be conducive to the development of psychological distress and various psychological health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression, which seem to partly explain the suicidal behavior of certain police officers according to the literature. scientists. Suicidal behavior and problems related to psychological health remain taboo in society in general and they seem to be even more so in police services. [1]. In the exercise of their duties, police officers come into contact with people experiencing serious psychological health problems. These meetings can contribute to forging an unfavorable attitude among police personnel who do not wish to be associated with this type of problem. [2]. Being identified as a vulnerable person and the possible negative consequences on one’s career are among the main fears reported, and therefore represent obstacles to seeking help. Consequently, one of the major challenges for police organizations is to quickly recognize psychological distress and suicidal ideation, to proactively offer support and encourage the request for help.
“Police organizations that implement the interventions proposed in this document will put in place a safety net that can save the lives of police officers.”
This document first presents the problem of suicide and certain psychological health problems among police personnel. Subsequently, it explains the influencing factors associated with suicidal behavior and suicide. The World Health Organization (WHO) suicide prevention model, levels of prevention and concept definitions are presented [3]. Definitions of the concepts are grouped in Appendix A. Interventions and programs from the scientific and gray literature are then described. Details of these can be found in Appendix B. Results of scientific studies on the effects of selected interventions and programs among police personnel and related populations are also reported. A final section of this document includes avenues of action aimed in particular at Quebec police organizations. Appendix C integrates the components of the suicide prevention model and the corresponding courses of action into a diagram.
[1]. Di Nota, P. M., Anderson, G. S., Ricciardelli, R., Carleton, R. N. et Groll, D. (2020). Mental disorders, suicidal ideation, plans and attempts among Canadian police. Occupational Medicine, 70(3), 183-190. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa026
[2]. Office of the Chief Coroner. (2019). Staying visible, staying connected, for life: Report of the expert panel on police officer deaths by suicide. Office of the Chief Coroner. https://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/Deathinvestigations/OfficeChiefCoroner/Publicationsandreports/StayingVisible.html
[3]. World Health Organization. (2014). Suicide prevention: the global state of emergency. WHO. handle/10665/131801/9789242564778_eng. pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
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