Mental Tip by Nate Boggs
May was mental Health Awareness month and June happens to be Men’s health month. With these themes in mind, I wanted to encourage my law enforcement brothers and sisters that it’s never a bad time to examine ourselves and our habits in an attempt to be a little better than we were yesterday.
Imagine a violent storm over the ocean. Causing massive waves and foaming whitecaps. Drifting alone in this churning sea could mean certain peril if not for some sort of flotation device. Simply a tool to keep you afloat until the storm passes and calm seas return. You see, storms are not forever, but rather temporary. Even the darkest of skies eventually break and the sun emerges.
Did you know that the average police officer will encounter 188 critical/traumatic incidents within their career, while the average citizen will encounter an average of 3 in their lifetime? With this statistic in mind, the average citizen will be treated for PTSD usually stemming from a singular incident. Cops that become PTSD symptomatic feel the effects, usually not from a singular incident, but rather from a cumulative of multiple traumatic incidents. This is similar to what the VA sees in military veterans. The sad truth is that most will not receive treatment unless something goes “BOOM”, meaning a shooting incident or an explosion. When you are exposed to a traumatic incident it is stamped into your memory and when you recount it you can likely remember what the weather was like including every minor detail. In the majority of cases when responding to these types of calls, you don’t have time to dwell on the trauma you just witnessed, instead you bottle it up, go 10-8, and go to the next call for service. Most cops can deal with the terrible things they witness because over time, through adaptation, you develop healthy coping skills. However, sometimes these coping skills begin to erode, perhaps from a family loss, failed marriage, or financial hardship. Symptoms of PTSD can appear as the inability to sleep, nightmares (sometimes reoccurring), always feeling on guard (constant hypervigilance), and the inability to feel happiness or joy (feeling numb). These negative feelings usually creep up when we don’t have other distractions such as when we are driving, in the shower, or perhaps working out. When your mind is relaxed these emotions/thoughts can creep up. So, naturally, as cops we push them back down and ignore them. Sweep them into that dark spot in our brain where we don’t have to deal with it. Over time these feelings can spring up at inopportune times. Sometimes a sound or a smell can take up back to an incident. I remember walking in our neighborhood during trash day and as I walked past a trash can, I smelled a foul odor and without thinking I told my wife, “That smells like a decomp.”. Chances are that it was a putrid meat wrapper that the resident put out for the trash, but the odor reminded me a distinct incident where I smelled rotting flesh. In my mind I went back to the scene remembering the sights, sounds, and distinct smell of death.
I believe that if you are in law enforcement long enough, you are going to feel the effects of cumulative PTSD. I believe no one goes unexposed and unaffected. The key to surviving to retirement is learning how to deal with it. How to cope with it. How to maintain a healthy balance of work life and family life. But most of all, when to ask for help if you ever feel underwater.
Some will go through their career and through a series of positive decisions they can navigate the turbulent waters of a law enforcement career. Never underestimate the power of self-help and a survivors’ mentality!
But if you ever find yourself barely treading water with the stressors of life, work, and family slamming down on your head don’t be afraid to reach out for a life preserver. Asking for help when you need it isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of self-awareness and courage.
May God bless and keep you! Psalm 107:29
Stay safe,
Nate Boggs
20-year law enforcement veteran and founder of S.O.L.E. - Supporters of Law Enforcement