Mental health issues ’substantial health concern’ among police internationally

Mental health issues are a "substantial health concern" among police officers, with around one in four potentially drinking at hazardous levels, and around one in 10 meeting the criteria for anxiety disorder and suicidal thoughts, finds a UCL-led study. The pooled data analysis of available international evidence, published online today in Occupational & Environmental Medicine , also found that one in seven officers meet criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Lead author Shabeer Syed (UCL Psychiatry) said: "By identifying the high prevalence of mental health issues among police officers, our findings emphasise the need for effective treatment and monitoring programmes, as well as additional funding initiatives for police wellbeing to match the preventive efforts available for other high-risk groups." Other published studies have suggested that first responders run a higher risk of mental health issues than the general public. But it was not clear how common mental health issues are among police officers, or what the risk factors for these might be. This is despite the fact that the nature of the work means that the police are uniquely exposed to extreme violence and death while often running the gauntlet of public distrust and disparagement, say the researchers. To try and plug this knowledge gap, the researchers trawled 16 research databases for relevant studies published between 1980 and October 2019. They found 67 studies which met their inclusion criteria of involving at least 100 active police professionals and the use of validated measures to assess specific aspects of mental ill health.