February 2002 Volume 83 Number 2 "serving the protectors"

After the trauma strikes

You usually take a job in the police force because you want to help people and do some good. The job also gives you a chance to help people do the right thing.

It sometimes seems, however, that the rules more often hinder than help you in doing the job.

But pride in your work and a belief in what you do usually help you through those frustrating times, and allow you to continue to work – despite the occasional frustration.

Dedication to duty comes with a downside, however. Police officers and other emergency-service people are much more likely to be disappointed in their own performance.

Essential to being a police officer is a level of self-confidence and the belief that your actions are right for the community. The pain and suffering you go through benefit the community. Justice is being done, and you are a part of that process. You have to make hard decisions as part of your work. You might struggle with some of those decisions but know that, in the end, you made the right choice.

Sometimes it is not as easy as that, and you have self-doubt. But, again, that internal struggle is part of the job, and your belief that the community ultimately benefits from your work helps you go on. More and more you have to believe in yourself. Imagine you were a person who had to ask for advice every 10 minutes because you were uncertain about what was the right thing to do. Soon you would be seen as indecisive, and someone who could not get on with the job.

Survival is about making those choices quickly and confidently. Self-confidence can replace self-doubt but later be seen as arrogance. Is that why some in the community see police officers as arrogant – because they have to make decisions all the time?

Survival means being confident and taking responsibility for your actions. It takes someone who is confident, but not too confident. But what if you do make the wrong choice and then have serious doubts about your ability to get it right all the time? Say you make the wrong choice and someone gets killed or, even worse, one of your colleagues in injured or killed. You might even get injured yourself because you tried to do the right thing.

It all seems to be okay in the beginning, but what about the thoughts that fill your mind minutes later – and days and years later. You ask: “Should I have done that?” or “Could I have stopped it if I had been better prepared or more alert?” As well, you wonder if the pain either you or a friend is going through could have been avoided had you been smarter or quicker.

Who do you talk to about your self-doubt and, if you are the only one who knows, might it be better to let sleeping dogs lie. You now see yourself as less intelligent, unworthy of love, and not as good or honourable as you once were. This leads to low self-esteem, more wrong choices and further self-doubt.

When you talk to your boss, he or she will overlook you for that next difficult job because he or she will doubt you as well. You keep it inside, and those feelings can get bigger and more harmful.

These feelings are a normal reaction. There would be more doubt over your fitness to work if you didn’t have them. The real challenge becomes how to work through these thoughts without losing self-respect – or the respect of your colleagues and friends. This is the time for help from someone outside your normal circle of people. That someone is usually a counsellor or GP.

These circumstances – after a major event – are called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The difference between a normal reaction and a crippling disorder is awareness of effects, how you can help yourself and, if need be, get help to deal with the problem.

As a police officer, you are more at risk than most others because of the nature of your work and the type of situations in which you find yourself. If you have recurring dreams and nightmares, can’t sleep or keep having flashbacks, it is important to consider how to deal with this in a different way.

You might first notice a numbing of your emotions and avoidance of situations or people. This might be the first sign of a need to look at how you are handling the situation. Remember: there is a normal tension between handling the situation by yourself and sharing the problem with someone else. There is also the risk that, through sharing the problem with a colleague or friend, you might destroy your relationship with him or her, so choose wisely. This is why someone independent might be best to help resolve the situation.

Whatever happens, remember that it is a normal reaction to the situations you confront as a police officer. There are normal physical and emotional reasons why it happens and it can sometimes be very difficult to fix. Being difficult to fix, however, does not mean you are inept at coping.

Help is available, but you need to be careful to get the right help. It will get you back to enjoying a job on which the community relies, and from which it expects a lot.

Your questions answered

Dr Pearce will answer questions on any health issue important to you. For his response, write to or fax the Police Journal with your question. Those who write need not identify themselves.

• Police Journal, PO Box 6128, Halifax St, Adelaide, SA, 5000
• Internal dispatch, post code 168
• Fax: 8231 0855

If you prefer to correspond by e-mail, send messages to the associate editor
(brettwilliams@policejournalsa.org.au).

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