TNM - USA EDITION - CCUPCA

RST RESPONDER | MILITARY | LAW ENFORCEMENT | INTELLIGENCE
the risk of suicide) are therefore the death of parents,
widowhood, retirement and dismissal, abandonment by
people significantly important according an affective
ed point of view, loss / destruction / confiscation of
the house, economic and / or image collapse and
much more. According to many psychologists, any
pain caused by unhappy experiences of different origin
has something in common with mourning. The word
mourning refers to that particular mental process that
allows the individual to make the mental pain associated
with loss tolerable and gradually overcome it. The way
to face and overcome mourning depends on several
factors: the psychological resources of the individual, in
particular the way to cope with stressful events (coping
strategies), the environmental resources, such as being
able to count on the psychological support of family
and friends, the social and cultural context in which they
live. Indeed a poor ability to process and overcome a
bereavement is often the element that can be considered
the starting point to commit suicide but people can be
helped to overcome this situation. Another important
factor in suicide cases is alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is
a pathological syndrome caused by acute or chronic
intake of large quantities of alcohol. It is characterized
by compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcohol,
usually to the detriment of the health of the drinker, his
relationships and his social position. As with other drug
addictions, alcoholism is considered a treatable disease.
Among the causes of suicide, alcoholism is second
only to mood disorders: among alcoholics the risk of
suicide in life is estimated in various researches around
10% to 40%. Alcohol predisposes to suicidal gestures,
either exacerbating a mood depression or reducing selfcontrol.
The abuse of alcohol, in fact, compromising the
ability of judgement it Is favourable to be disinhibited
and therefore leads to the impulsive act to commit
suicide, but it can also be used as means to soften the
discomfort associated with the act itself.
About 30% of those ones who attempt to commit
suicide have in fact taken alcohol before the attempt
and about half of these ones are intoxicated at the
time the action is taking place. Alcoholism, during
periods of abstinence, often generates a deep feeling
of remorse and alcoholics are therefore predisposed
to suicide even when they are sober. According to the
specialized scientific literature, the most significant
FATIGUE OR
LACK OF ENERGY
variables of the suicide phenomenon among police
forces are as follows: The living conditions the police
may be suffering are closely related to the risk of
suicide. Critical conditions of working on the road and
being exposed to violence which can be an important
factor of risk. Improving policemen’ life conditions
by adopting different strategies (training, spaces and
times dedicated to well-being, listening and support,
etc.), is therefore the main factor to be reducing suicide
risks. According to many investigations carried out
in the USA, there is a strong statistical correlation
between the suicide of policemen and the presence
of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. For this reason,
reducing the incidence of P.T.S.D. by implenting a valid
clinical intervention that also indirectly reduces the
risk of suicide; The family tensions of police officers
are a factor of high suicide risk. Sometimes when the
police officers/cops go back home they find a family
atmosphere unable to remove the stress they have
been going through during the service. The condition
of loneliness and isolation linked to the frequent family
crises faced by policemen, the separations due to the
nature of their work activity, frequent transfers and
stress significantly affect the risk of suicide. Promoting
the cohesion and well-being of the families of policemen
and their involvement in a training and awarenessraising
plan is therefore an important element in order
to reduce suicide risk (www.policesuicidestudy.com).
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