What is PTSD

         Police officers, by the nature of their jobs, can be exposed to more stress and trauma in one month than many people will experience in a life time. Some police officers thrive on stress. They seek out incidents that most people would not care to encounter.

          Many police officers work through Post Traumatic Stress and its affects. There are those, however, that will not be able to cope with the Post Traumatic Stress they have encountered. They may have handled many traumatic incidents without a problem, until one happens that breaks through their ability to cope. These officers will develop what is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

          PTSD is a serious illness and is defined and diagnosed by certain symptoms a person exhibits. It affects a person physically, mentally, and emotionally to the point it is life altering. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:

The person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others.

The person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.


                        There are two classifications of PTSD.

            Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than 3 months

           Chronic: if duration of symptoms is 3 months or more

          Whatever the source of the problem, some people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in the form of nightmares and disturbing recollections during the day.

                                        Symptom Checklist

Intrusion:   (Most officers with PTSD will experience 1 or more of the following.)

Extreme nightmares

Extreme paranoia

Sense of shortened future, impending doom

Avoidance:   (Most officers with PTSD will experience 3 or more of the following.)

Loss of interest in sex

Depression

Isolation-especially from loved ones

Increased absenteeism

Avoiding certain previously visited locations that were favorites

Diminished interest in previously interesting activities, sports, people

Lack of motivation

Constantly fatigued

Loss of Faith in God

Sleeping too much

Previously active in their work, significant shift to doing little or nothing

Weak work performance, quality of work drops significantly

Stops exercise and previous self-care (poor hygiene)

Memory loss

Disappears for periods of time from home or work

Arousal: (Most officers with PTSD will experience 3 or more)

Problems falling asleep, or problems staying asleep

Irritability

Worse than usual problems supervisors and/or the public

Increasingly cynical, maybe at most everything

Sudden outbursts of anger or rage, especially overkill for the situation at hand

Hyper vigilance (paranoia)

Exaggerated startle response

Obsessive behavior

Compulsive behavior

Overeating: noticeable weight gain

Anorexia: noticeable weight loss

More hyperactive

Somatic Problems: (Not all victims will experience these symptoms, but at least 1 is not uncommon.)

Problems urinating

Frequent headaches

Chest pains

Intestinal pain

Diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, blood in stool

Frequent belching

Very high use of antacids