Stress Management in Law Enforcement

Stress Management in Law Enforcement

Introduction

Currently, especially after the 9-11 tragedy, people started to look at police officers and specialists in law enforcement as strong individuals, rightly earning the lofty finest title. Law-abiding civilians feel safer when there are regular police patrols in their neighborhoods and communities and citizens living in communities often have a very useful, happy life which is free of stress.

Description and Analysis

Stress Management encompasses a number of techniques utilized to control an individual's level of stress so that they can function normally in their daily lives. (Burkhart et al. 2010) A severe form of stress can be explained as an individual's response to an intense, traumatic incident. Such incidents may involve torture, accident, rape, life threatening disease or event, physical injuries, death of someone really close, threat of death or even natural calamities. (National Institute for Clinical Excellence, 2005) This paper critically examines the prevalence of PTSD within our society and analyzes the different ways in which we can deal with stress (Ellen 2006, 62).

At least 70% of police officers are showing signs of "police trauma syndrome", many of whom have never experienced a real critical incident. Simply, the cumulative effects of stress in the street have changed - negatively - physically, emotionally and psychologically from the person they were before. Without that one would expect this job can result in powerful serious dysfunction in work, broken relationships, a ruined health - and even suicide. Despite the growing awareness great that the police in their work are exposed to emotional wounds, the hierarchy continues to regularly make matters worse by treating its staff with a lack of sensitivity, and the officers who need help do not seek it often because they perceive police culture does not condone that (James 2004, 565).

The ...