By Jennifer Bucholtz

Working as a medico-legal death investigator for a medical examiner or coroner is not for the faint of heart. Not only is it gruesome, but it is physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. However, it is also a career that is rewarding, fascinating, and continuously educational.

By Dr. Nancy Heath and Dr. Kimberlee Ratliff
Dr. Heath is the Program Director for Human Development and Family Studies at APU.
Dr. Ratliff is the Program Director of the M.Ed. in School Counseling at APU.

Families experience enormous amounts of stress when one parent goes off to war. Rules and boundaries change, chores may be divided up differently, and loyalties are renegotiated. As the reality of a partner’s deployment sinks in, the remaining parent may find it hard to function, since he or she is suffering a significant upheaval and loss of support. Eventually, though, most non-deployed parents find ways to cope. They learn new skills, find new social groups, and establish new routines. Yet most eagerly await the return of their partner, and children, especially, look forward to a return to normalcy.

After responding to a traumatic call, EMTs may think they’re fine, but PTSD can strike several months after an event. Here are signs of PTSD and how family and friends can help.

Having been in law enforcement for many years, I have seen fellow police officers struggle with stress, financial problems, family life-changing events, time management issues, PTSD, and several other issues that affect their mental health. Whether you are a coworker or family member, we all must recognize the warning signs or symptoms of depression and distress and then help those who are impacted. In recognition of May as Mental Health Month, read more about common signs and symptoms of someone who may have a mental health condition.

In honor of National Police Week, it is important to recognize the sacrifices made by law enforcement families. Due to the nature of police work, being a police officer can have major impacts on an officer’s family—especially on their children—so it’s important this week to honor both officers and their families. AMU professor Michelle Beshears writes about how police officers can help their families manage the stress caused by a career in law enforcement.

Police respond to a variety of difficult events, which can create a roller coaster of emotions. Research shows that officers who don’t manage their stress are prone to burnout, poor judgment, substance abuse, divorce, and suicide. Here are ways officers can look after their physical and mental health.

Working in a 911 call center is stressful. The pace is nonstop and it can be overwhelming even for seasoned and resilient emergency dispatchers. Local and state governments have a responsibility to make sure that professional mental healthcare providers are available to serve not only police officers, firefighters and paramedics, but also 911 call takers and emergency dispatchers.

January 2015 was a good month for the law enforcement community. It was the first month since September 2011 that there were no felonious gunfire deaths of law enforcement officers in the United States. This is only the third month since 1985 in which no law enforcement gunfire deaths occurred. While this is good news for police, there are still too many line-of-duty deaths, many of which are preventable.

Learning how to manage stress is critical for corrections officers who work in highly volatile and dangerous environments. High levels of stress can adversely impact an officer’s professional performance and personal life, therefore, it’s important for officers to learn what is causing their stress and healthy strategies to properly manage it.