TNM - USA EDITION - CCUPCA

RST RESPONDER | MILITARY | LAW ENFORCEMENT | INTELLIGENCE
POLICE OFFICERS ARE CONTINUOUSLY
DEALING WITH SCENARIOS OF VIOLENCE,
ACCIDENTS AND DISASTERS
the occurrence of the critical event to massively reduce the
risks of the onset of the disorder.
The defusing and the debriefing, for example, are two
particularly effective “psychology of emergence” techniques
that if applied promptly immediately after the subject’s
exposure to the critical event have shown excellent results
in preventing the onset of the disorder. Adam Pasciak
a former sergeant of the Police Department of Redford
Township (Michigan) who after his retirement (following
a shooting) got a PhD in clinical psychology and currently
working within the US with law enforcement personnel.
He repeatedly wrote that an early intervention immediately
after the trauma is the key to successfully treating a PTSD
case. A preventive intervention of a specialist Psychologist
immediately after exposure to trauma is therefore the
most effective prevention system. Fundamental then to
“intercept” the symptoms of P.T.S.D., if this disorder has
taken place and then formulate a correct diagnosis, is
that the categories of operators at risk are subjected to
constant monitoring by a specialist Psychologist. As above
mentioned and underlined, members of the police are quite
reluctant to unveil their emotional problems to avoid being
considered “unfit” to carry out the service. However, there
are several effective tools to aid the clinical treatment of
post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychotherapy combined
with some drugs has provided excellent results. To manage
the classic symptoms of P.T.S.D. like the constant state of
alarm, anxiety, flashbacks, the re-experience of the trauma
and the tendency to avoid the situations that remind Them
cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy seems to give good
results. Another therapeutic technique that has proved
to be remarkably useful against post-traumatic stress
disorder is the so-called Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (E.M.D.R.), which is a desensitization and reprocessing
of trauma through specific Ocular Movements.
After several sessions of E.M.D.R., the disturbing memories
undergo an alteration, the image changes in the contents
and the way in which it presents itself, the intrusive thoughts
Is softened, as well as the negative emotions and physical
sensations associated with them.
TNM 23