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URBAN LEGENDS ABOUT POLICE SUICIDE
ORIGINS: Law enforcement has been plagued by some of the worst misinformation imaginable. It spreads from one website into another and even into some books. Some of it is spread innocently, by those who have misread the literature or are repeating bogus information heard in a lecture. We fear that much of it, however, is being deliberately spread by those who have no regard for fact and use it to garner attention or, less commendably, sell tickets. EXAMPLES OF POLICE URBAN LEGENDS: There are 350 - 450 police suicides a year (untrue) A police officer commits suicide every 17 hours (untrue) PTSD is "self-inflicted" (untrue) The suicide rate for police officers is three/four times that of the general public (untrue) Three/four times as many officers officers die of suicide than die in the line of duty (untrue) Cops have the highest divorce and/or alcoholism rates (no evidence to support this) 1/3 of police officers have PTSD (untrue) "Lots of officers" disguise their suicides by putting out gun cleaning kits or driving into bridge abutments. (untrue) ________________________________ FALSE: There are 350 / 450 / 500 police suicides per year
All these numbers have been circulated as "fact", but we have asked and asked and can find no one who can support any of them.
TRUE: The 2008/2009 national study showed 141 suicides in 2008 and 143 in 2009. There is no reason to exaggerate the truth--143 police suicides are 3 times the number of officers killed by felons. This number gives a rate of 17/100,000, compared to the public's 11/100,000 (400 suicides would give a rate of about 50/100,000).
FALSE: There are 300 suicides each year, active and retirees combined
No one has found a way to track retiree suicides because of their dispersion, age and loss of identity in the community. Further, this is combining "apples and oranges," and once again no data has been produced to back up the numbers (or which is which).
TRUE: It is believed, but not confirmed, that suicides among retirees are far too high and may well exceed those of active officers. Data is lacking.
FALSE: " You should talk to a fellow officer when you need help." No--talk to a professional if you need help. Coffee shop therapy with a beat partner may get you through the rest of the shift, but when your shift ends get to work on finding a good therapist. Your peer support officer may be able to help you, as well as your EAP. Other options include your family doctor or clergy. The "family" is good to have for the parties and the ew-rahs but, just like Aunt Maude in your biological family, amateur advice is well intentioned but nothing more.
FALSE: Three times as many officers die from suicide than die in the line of duty No, incorrect. Correct is to say "two to three times as many officers die from suicide than die from the guns of felons," Not line of duty. To say the "in the line of duty" raises the suicide numbers to 450 - 500 suicides per year.
TRUE: Correct is to say, "More officers commit suicide than die in the line of duty." But not "three times more." Also correct would be to say, "Two to three times as many officers die from suicide than from the guns of felons."
FALSE: "One-third of all police officers have PTSD and don't know it"
This originated with a quote from a conversation with a retired officer who is merely speculating, in an old CALEA article by Allen Kates. It's a personal opinion only.
We can find nothing to actually substantiate that 290,000 police officers have PTSD, however.
TRUE: Interestingly, Robinson, Sigman, and Wilson (1997) did find that 13 percent of a sample of 100 suburban police officers met the criteria for PTSD. Similar studies found varying results, ranging from 7 percent to 25 percent, depending on the circumstances (ex., riots going on in the city). Using these figures and accepting ten percent as a viable figure, one can surmise that as many as ten percent, or 87,000, might fit that category and still be functioning on duty. A similar number, at a minimum, might be expected to be suffering from the emotional pain and suffering of various emotional experiences yet not be diagnosable with PTSD. While this falls far short of the "one third," it is significant. It does support a conclusion that thousands of officers continue to work, untreated and suffering from work-related anxiety disorders.
FALSE: The rate of suicide among officers is 3 times that of the general public. Also incorrect. The "three times" quote comes from a local study by John Violanti, comparing Buffalo, NY police officers and municipal workers, which he says cannot be projected to the general public.
TRUE: According to another study by Dr. Violanti, the rate of suicide among police officers is 1.5 times that of the general public.
Lots of suicides are officers deliberately running into bridge abutments and setting up their gun cleaning kits to make it look like an accident. Untrue. There's nothing to support this. During the 2008-2009 study, we were alert to unexplained deaths of officers that were ascribed to unknown causes or simply didn't say, particularly for younger and middle-aged officers. We found several such cases but one, a involving a gun cleaning kit, was found to be a suicide (at the strong objections of the department) and the remainder (approximately ten) were in fact identified as "suicides." Even if they were, in fact, disguised suicides, they were too few to impact the final statistics for the year. Further study on this specific area might tell more. They do happen, without a doubt, but at this point there is no support for the belief that they are chronic.
FALSE: PTSD must be traced to “One Big Event.”
A frequent belief. The “Big Event,” “The Critical Incident."
All eyes are focused on the shootout, the multiple fatality accident, the death of a child and other quickly recognizable events. Everyone goes into high gear and the rescue systems hum along efficiently.
TRUE: We need to recognize the important role of cumulative stress in police work—the daily wounding of the soul over years, over decades.
“I was really afraid.”
“I didn’t know what to do.”
“I was lost.”
“I made a terrible mistake.”
“I wish I could have done something."
“Sometimes I wonder if this is the job for me.”
"I should have reported that."
FALSE: "PTSD is a self-inflicted malady."
This is one of many silly myths being circulated by one popular charismatic and is macho-rubbish. PTSD is not a form of self-harm, like cutters. It is an emotional injury with clearly diagnosable signs that are the result of an external cause--in fact, PTSD is the one mental illness in the DSM that is purely the result of an external source. There is much an individual can do to prepare for a traumatic or even cumulative events. In so doing, one can lessen the impact or avoid the impacts entirely. But to suggest that, if an individual is traumatized that it is somehow the person's "fault" is utterly false.
FALSE: Law Enforcement is "One Big Family.”
If it is, it’s a classic of dysfunctional families. Secrets abound, masks are the norm, and departmental betrayal is seen as one of law enforcement's greatest stressors.
Much education is needed within this "police family." Far too many officers continue to condemn police suicides as the acts of "cowards," "weaklings" and worse. Too many turn their backs on the wives and children of officers lost to suicide, as though these innocents somehow brought shame upon the department.
Until education on suicide, its dynamics and real impacts, both on the victim and the family, are brought to bear--seriously--on both the troops and police administrators, these crude traditions will continue. Until then, until we accept all of our fallen heroes into the fold, we are not a "family"--at best, we are a "community."
FALSE: "Suicide is an 'angry, selfish act.”
TRUE: Suicide is a painful act.
No person wants to die. For some of us, however, the choices seem so few and the pain so great that the only way of finding escape from the pain seems to be suicide. When I exchanged my gun for the telephone and went to the hospital, my first step was to begin crying—the pain was that deep. No one had told me I could do that. I was unable to see there was an alternative.
FALSE: Suicide is a "permanent solution to a temporary problem."
Don't worsen the situation by giving these patronizing homilies to a depressed person. Like "Been there, done that," you're advertising your inability to empathize with the individual's pain, which is not going to respond to quotes from the "Farmer's Almanac." Commenters fail to understand that the person committing suicide had a mental disorder, and that this was not a decision made in the same way one decides to buy that big boat. It is excruciatingly painful and performed under the influence of an overwhelming mental illness brought on by causes NOT their fault.
TRUE: The suicidal person is no longer making what you see as rational, simple choices. Many feel as though they are at the top of the Twin Towers with flames licking at their back, deciding whether or not to jump.
FALSE: " Police Officers Who Commit Suicide Are Cowards."
This, disturbingly, is heard often in the ranks of police officers after a suicide. On the one hand, it shows a tremendous ignorance of PTSD, depression and the causes of suicide. It also illustrates the lack of training by their departments. Again, it is a failing to understand that PTSD and depression, followed by suicide, are the actions of someone in the grips of a mental disorder--not cowardice. The act is not their "fault" or choice--the source of their illness was brought on, often, by horrors and trauma you could not imagine.
TRUE: In many cases, it also shows a tremendous amount of fear on the part of these officers who, like any group, will take refuge in superstitions or false belief systems. "If it can happen to Officer Smith, it could happen to me. I don't want to believe it could happen to me, so I will dismiss Officer Smith as a weakling and a coward."
FALSE: Hiding suicides prevents "Copycat Police Suicides"
There is no evidence in the distribution of police suicides to suggest this occurs, particularly in heavily populated areas where many officers know the deceased. This is in spite of the fact that we know a significant population of police officers are fighting depression and PTSD.
TRUE: By hiding police suicides, departments unwittingly cost more more police lives by depriving researchers of the very information they need to understand the causes and prevent them from happening.
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