Suicide. One word that has a big impact. Chances are that many of you reading this article have been personally impacted by suicide. Perhaps you lost a partner, friend or family member to suicide. Perhaps you have thought about dying by suicide at some point throughout your career or lifetime. Whatever your connection to suicide, rest assured that you are not alone.
Despite the increased visibility of this issue and the many organizations and initiatives aimed at suicide prevention, suicide is still highly stigmatized within the law enforcement community. The question is … why? One of the common concerns that people have about seeking help and disclosing they are thinking of suicide is career survival. As a police psychologist, I can tell you that my colleagues and I want you to get the help you need and keep your job.
All licensed mental health professionals have a legal and ethical duty to protect and preserve life. If you endorse thoughts of suicide, we will work collaboratively with you to help you stay safe as you work through whatever experiences are contributing to these thoughts. This means developing a safety plan that includes:
• Ways to reduce access to lethal means (i.e., temporarily storing your firearms in your work locker or with a trusted friend, family member or partner)
• Things you can do to cope differently when experiencing suicidal thoughts (i.e., talking with a trusted friend or reaching out to a peer, chaplain or clinician)
• People you can call for help or spend time with to reduce isolation (i.e., friend, family member, clinician or a 24/7 confidential hotline such as CopLine)
• Attending treatment with a licensed mental health professional
• With your permission, bringing in a trusted friend, spouse or family member to help you stay safe while you are experiencing thoughts of suicide
Only in certain cases is involuntary psychiatric hospitalization required when immediate danger to self is present. For example, when a person refuses to engage in treatment once they have reached the mandatory reporting threshold or when they are so impaired that they cannot meaningfully participate in their safety plan.
Experiencing thoughts of suicide is a complex experience. It shapes how a person thinks, much like how depression, anxiety and trauma can alter thinking and perception. I often think of it as experiencing psychological pain coupled with tunnel vision. In other words, the distressing nature of feeling suicidal can transform thinking into a sort of emotional tunnel vision with only one way out.
Thoughts like, “My family is better off without me” or “I’m better off dead” can start to sound like logical solutions to whatever issues you are struggling with. Talking with an experienced clinician can help you alleviate the distress you are feeling, reframe your thinking to generate healthier coping options and gain additional tools to help you work through these thoughts without engaging in reckless behaviors or suicide attempts.
Seeking professional help from a licensed mental health professional is essential if you are experiencing thoughts of suicide. To be clear, thinking of suicide does not mean that you are crazy. It means that you are experiencing intense psychological suffering and need relief. The goal of therapy in both outpatient and intensive treatment settings is to help you alleviate your suffering and learn healthier ways of coping with whatever situations are contributing to your distress. This requires you to attend therapy, actively participate in your own treatment and utilize the skills and tools provided. Additional supportive resources such as a trained peer supporter or law enforcement chaplain can also be helpful. You have a village of people and resources available to support you. Do not walk through this alone. You deserve to heal, and you deserve to be alive. This world is better with you in it.
For free and confidential support, reach out to any of our psychologists, peer supporters and law enforcement chaplains by contacting the Psychological Services Bureau (PSB) at (213) 738-3500. You can also reach out to a peer supporter or chaplain directly through the PSB Lighthouse Wellness App (the QR code to download the app is on page 28). Please know that after-hours crisis support is also available via PSB’s on-call psychologist, who you can contact through SIB by calling (213) 229-1700 (please note that you do not need to provide your name to SIB — just request to speak with the on-call psychologist). If you prefer to seek additional support outside the Department, I strongly encourage you to reach out to CopLine at 1-800-COPLINE.