PAX Centurion - April / June 2016

Page 50 • PAX CENTURION • April-May-June 2016 617-989-BPPA (2772) “Touched to the soul” The signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and what you can do I n a more peaceful society, police officers might be able to “keep the peace” without ever taking their firearms out of their holsters. That is not our society. More and more police officers are required to use force – sometimes deadly force – to protect the public and themselves. Moreover, as “first responders,” police officers are often the first to encounter unimaginable scenes of injury and suffering. A civilian would look away, or even run away. A police officer must face these horrors. The courage to put on the police uniform and face the challenges of the job cannot protect you from psychological damage. This article is intended to help you recognize the signs of psychological injury, and do what you can to care for yourself. Do these concerns sound familiar? “I can’t stop thinking about it.” “I can’t sleep.” “I drink to self-medicate.” “I drink to go to sleep.” “I can’t talk to anyone about it.” “I don’t want to appear weak.” “I can’t do my job if I appear weak.” Police Officers experience these thoughts every day. Many do not know that they can be signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The elements of the PTSD diagnosis are as follows. Trauma T his is an event considered beyond the scope of normal experience that is either life threatening or threatening to someone else’s life, including seeing severe damage to someone. The individual can become even more distressed by recurrent exposure to acts of violence. Although the traumas for police officers may be different, the symptoms of PTSD are the same for all people. Re-Experiencing T his is re-experiencing the trauma, by flashbacks, nightmares and other recurrent intrusive memories in which the individual ruminates on the trauma and cannot get it out of his or her mind, especially when not focused elsewhere. Nightmares featuring scenes from your job are a sign of PTSD. Often the nightmares mirror the experiences you have had. Sometimes they are more generic, such as dreaming that your firearm won’t fire or you cannot open your cruiser door. It is not always easy to identify a flashback. Other signs might be when you get “lost in thought” about the incident, and suddenly discover that you don’t know what you were doing for the past few Legal Notes: Leigh A. Panettiere, Esq. Sandulli Grace P.C., Counsel to Members of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association minutes. Many people believe they were just thinking hard about the incident, but it is possible that they were experiencing a flashback. Avoidance A voidance is making efforts to avoid anything that reminds you of the trauma. An individual suffering from post-traumatic stress will often change his or her driving route in order to avoid driving past the scene of the trauma. Hyper-arousal T his symptom is called autonomic hyper-arousal or hypervigi- lance. Most police officers exhibit this symptom to some degree. This is when you are constantly on the alert, waiting for the next bad thing to happen. People suffering from hyper-arousal are more irrita- ble than usual, their sleep is interfered with, they jump at things or “startle” more than other people, and they numb their emotional connection to others. Not everyone who suffers from the symptoms of post-traumatic stress is suffering from a disorder. A person can suffer from post-traumatic stress but not have PTSD. In order to have the disorder, you have to have experienced the trauma and all three types of symptoms (re-experience, avoidance and hyperarousal). It is vital that officers with PTSD seek treatment. Untreated PTSD typically leads to substance abuse, which can cause lasting damage to your career, family and personal relationships. Even if they do not abuse substances, officers with PTSD can become so irritable and unhappy that they cannot enjoy their family and friends. They also become less able to handle the stressors of the job, and can end up engaging in aggressive conduct that makes them the target of citizen complaints and discipline. It is not uncommon for a police department to suffer the heartbreak of losing a brother or sister officer to suicide caused by PTSD. If a police officer is disabled from PTSD, he or she may be entitled to injured on duty benefits under G.L. c. 41 Section 111F. If a police officer is permanently disabled from PTSD, the officer may be eligible for an accidental disability retirement. Accidental disability retirement is not necessary the end of an officer’s career. The public employee retirement system requires retired officers to be periodically re-examined to determine whether they are no longer disabled. Experts say that it is possible to recover from PTSD symptoms and return to public safety. Prior military service does not necessarily disqualify an officer from a public employee pension. Police officers often have prior military service, and thus begin working already burdened by the