Page 40 - May2021

Mental Health and Wellness Support
A resource guide for Chicago Lodge 7 members
Officers are taught at the academy and then learn every day on the street how to maintain profession- alism and not show emotion while policing. In fact, officers get so good at this that many of our families complain we are not sensitive anymore. Officers of- ten mask their emotions so well that even other offi- cers do not know they are having emotional issues or thinking of suicide.
Today, however, there are tremendous stressors for Chicago Police Officers, including the recently enact- ed Illinois police reform bill, the threat the of qual-
ified immunity, consistent protests, canceled days off, 12-hour work days and the lack of support from some politicians, family and community members. It is becoming exceedingly hard for of- ficers to constantly hide their emotions and their feelings about how law enforcement personnel are being treated today.
As a result of these stressors, it is normal for officers to feel it is difficult, if not impossible, to not have some feelings of anger, anxiety, hopelessness and depression. These feelings can make it hard for officers not to display some of their feelings or have their feelings “leak out” at home or at work, which can cause negative outcomes.
It is also difficult for family members of officers not to be af- fected by the negative police climate. For these reasons, it is ex- tremely important for officers to apply their resiliency skills, build more coping abilities and seek therapy if needed. Further, it is be-
coming quite common for officers to question their decision to stay in the job and their decision-making on the street. Instead of wondering what is lawful during an arrest or use of force, they question, “How might this look?” This presents an officer safety issue and adds to officers’ and family members’ overall stress.
In fact, after a critical incident or newsworthy story, officers are often encouraged or told outright to say nothing to anyone, in- cluding other officers, the public and their family. So ultimately, officers are being told to “suffer in silence” due to potential “legal issues” rather than find ways they can safely get emotional sup- port.
While every officer understands what legally can be shared with others, not being able to share your personal emotions of- ten leads to three significant issues: 1) officers feel they have no voice to stand up for themselves or their police career; 2) officers and sometimes uninformed lawyers think that an officer cannot reach out to a therapist and that they will not have confidenti- ality; and 3) the officer will experience mental health issues and will not seek treatment. Each of these issues can lead to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, which both can lead to symp- toms of depression and thoughts of suicide.
While we would like to think that depression and thoughts of suicide are rare in policing, they are not. We need to talk about this issue, as not talking about it leads to officers choosing to do nothing, or self-medicating through substance abuse, behaviors which lead to more problems or the worst suicide.
Suffering in silence
DR. CARRIE STEINER
40 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2021
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