Barriers to Effective Mental Health Interventions That Reduce Suicide by Police Officers (From Suicide and Law Enforcement, P 205-209, 2001, Donald C. Sheehan and Janet I. Warren, eds. -- See NCJ-193528)

• NCJ Number: 193547
• Author(s): Stephen F. Curran
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 5 pages
• Sale Source: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: A paper submitted to the Suicide and Law Enforcement Conference, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA, September 1999.

Annotation

This article identifies five barriers to obtaining effective mental health services for police officers at risk of suicide, with attention to the consequences of these barriers and implications for organizational intervention.

Abstract

One barrier to an officer's seeking needed mental health services lies within the perspectives of the officer regarding strategies for coping with emotional problems. Some fear that their personal mental health records could be the subject of a subpoena in criminal or civil proceedings. They also prefer to deal with emotional problems without the help of others, even if suicide becomes the ultimate solution of choice. Another obstacle to the obtaining of mental health services for officers is the absence of an agency-supported, confidential counseling program. A third barrier to mental health services for officers involves organizational failure to provide for effective psychological assessment, either in applicant screening or in in-service evaluations. Another barrier to officer access to mental health services is inadequate access to effective mental health care under agency health plans. A final barrier to mental health services for officers at risk of suicide is the passivity of the officer's family, as they fail to act on observed signs of suicide potential.