The latest of the Chicago Police Department proclamation of a third officer who died by suicide this month highlights a perfect storm facing first responders not just in Chicago, but across the country — and it’s imperative to get them the relief they need.
Given the existing dangers of their work and now the toll exerted by the pandemic, first responders are facing historically severe mental health challenges and alarming mental health outcomes.
Over the past five years, several developments have led to a significant increase in the stress and workload of first responders. Law enforcement agencies have been affected by an increase in violence in society and a growing hostility towards the profession. The after effects and toll of such stress on the lives and mental health of first responders remains to be studied and will be felt for many years to come.
Then, since 2020, the pandemic has affected the mental health of the entire population. In many ways, for first responders, COVID-19 added more work to their already stressful and difficult workload. Research on the stigma of first responders during the pandemic points to an increased sense of isolation and lack of support. People working in jobs that involve a higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus have reported a decrease in social interactions, accompanied by an increase in the refusal of others to associate with them.
Throughout 2020, first responders were also concerned about transmitting COVID-19 to their loved ones and felt pressured to maintain physical distance from friends and family. This unique and distressing experience put undue pressure on first responders.
The consequences of these grim realities are highlighted in Research published last month by the Ruderman Family Foundationwhich found that 116 police officers committed suicide in the US in 2020, compared to 140 in 2017. While these numbers show that the number of suicides is on the decline, the 2020 numbers are likely undercounts due to stigma and shame , lack of reporting and the fact that it takes time for people to come forward – a reality we witnessed with the 2017 data.
Meanwhile, the reported number of fire and EMS suicides was 127 in 2020, slightly higher than the 126 confirmed cases in 2017.
These findings follow the Foundation’s 2018 Ruderman’s White Paper on First Responder Mental Health and Suicide, which found that police officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty—a trend that continues to hold true today. However, while the new stress and isolation brought to first responder life by the pandemic has resulted in increased mental health programming and resources, first responder suicides had not significantly decreased since 2020 (official 2021 data are still being updated).
In his latest press conference, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown empathized with the ongoing mental health crisis among first responders, acknowledging that police officers “are human and they have struggles just like everyone else” and more importantly, “the stigma of even talking to someone in our profession is a challenge.” Brown also announced CPD’s plans to offer around-the-clock mental health services, faith-based counseling and free confidential programs to current and former officers.
The measures Chicago has taken in the wake of July’s suicides should serve as a reminder to police departments across the country that programs to promote mental health awareness need to be improved and expanded.
Additional measures should be taken, such as monitoring the mental health of the first retired employees and assessing the mental health of newly hired personnel. This may include the use of risk assessment and preventive procedures to help reduce or eliminate the negative effects of exposure to traumatic incidents. Having fair and comprehensive media coverage can also help remove the stigma surrounding first responder suicide and help reduce the grief of affected families and colleagues.
Additionally, mandated reporting of suicide deaths and non-fatal attempts is needed. Currently, no government agency requires the reporting of such deaths or attempts. However, mandated reporting is essential to understand the multidimensional phenomenon of suicide and to better assess trends, patterns, and relationships in the data.
More than ever, the first responders who are putting their lives on the line to protect us need a lifeline themselves. The time is right to provide first responders with the essential resources they need to overcome a mental health crisis of historic proportions.
Jay Ruderman is president of the Ruderman Family Foundation.
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