3.14-25 Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management

Discuss what happens physically and psychologically when confronted with survival stress and explore ways to positively channel these changes.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.14

Navarro College Police Academy

The human body

and survival stress

Effects of Stress on Performance—the “Inverted U Principle”

As heart rate increases, the ability to perform physically and process information improves to a point then begins to drop.

Effects of Stress on Performance—the “Inverted U Principle”

Fine motor skills deteriorate first at heart rates about 115. Skills needing accuracy such as double locking handcuffs, radio operation and writing a ticket.

Complex motor skills, such as complex ground fighting techniques, begin to deteriorate and changes in vision begin at heart rates over 145. (i.e., tunnel vision, two-dimension vision.) At heart rates above 175 an officer may experience auditory changes, loss of peripheral vision and depth perception, increases in reaction time and a declining ability to process information.

With heart rates above 200, an officer may exhibit irrational behavior such as repetitive nonproductive activities. Symptoms associated with high engagement of Sympathetic Nervous System and resulting elevated heart rates include:

visual changes

Visual changes such as tunnel vision, loss of depth perception, and color changes are common. Scenes may appear dimly lit due to pupil dilation and objects associated with the threat may appear larger.

time slows down

Time often appears to slow down during the incident as well as during recollection of the incident. A person can often recall incident frame by frame after the initial 24-48 hours has passed. For example, they may see a fist coming at them inch by inch or a bullet entering a body slowly.

Some sounds may seem muffled while others sound louder than they should due to hearing perception changes.

Memory lapses may occur. For example, the number of shots that were fired or how many people were involved in an incident. Most memory will begin to return in 24 to 48 hours. A warning that any reports written during this time should be considered preliminary.

After an incident the officer may experience nausea, extreme weakness, and inappropriate or cycling emotions.

Strategies to positively channel changes to enhance tactical performance or minimize deterioration of psychomotor skills and sensory changes are geared towards minimizing heart rate.

Practice

Have students close their eyes and visualize an environment where they would be required to escalate, then de-escalate on the force continuum. They should picture the people involved, words said, actions taken and visualize their successful performance. For example: make a vehicle stop and three people get out of the car and quickly approach the officer. Visualize words said, actions taken, use of cover, and use of radio, defensive tactics, or firearms skills.

• Mental Rehearsal-visualize successful performance of skills in a variety of situations
• Practice skills that require fine motor or complex motor skills to make them more automatic.
• Choose and practice skills that are not complex and use large muscle groups.
• Tactical Breathing-breathe in for a count of 4, hold for count of 4 and exhale for count of 4.
• Positive talk and self-affirmation. Tell yourself, “Slow down, I can handle this, I trained for this…”

tcole review

tcole review

tcole review

Discuss physical and psychological effects of Critical Incident Stress (CIS).

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.15

Navarro College Police Academy

3.15

A traumatic event that causes a strong emotional reaction which has the potential to interfere with an individual's ability to function at the scene or later, often later.

Critical Incident Stress

Critical Incident Stress

The incident temporarily disrupts your everyday life, forces you to face death, your vulnerability, pain, severe loss, or horror (i.e., a shooting, use of force incident, heart attack or catastrophic illness.)

An occupational hazard, most will experience CIS in their personal or professional life at some time.Memory lapses may occur. Example, the number of shots that were fired or how many people were involved in the incident. Most memories will return in 24 to 48 hours. A warning that any reports written during this time should be considered preliminary.

Critical Incident Stress

In addition, memories of a traumatic experience can be categorically different from memories of a non-traumatic experience. During a traumatic experience, the person may only encode certain details of the event, or may only recall sensory information, like taste, touch, or smell. Traumatic memory may also not be linear, may be fragmented, and may come back to the person at different times.

Critical Incident Stress

There are five phases of transition that persons who experience traumatic events typically go through:

depression

anger

acceptance

bargaining

denial

• A tendency to reject the traumatic incident
• Refusal to believe the event occurred
• In officer-related shootings this phase may be brief or nonexistent because of the necessity to immediately deal with the aftermath of the event.

DENIAL phase

A wish that the event had never taken place. For example, an officer wishes he could “take back the bullet.”

Bargaining phase

Feeling anger or resentment that the traumatic event “had to happen to me.”

anger phase

This phase is often the longest. Its severity depends on:

• the individual’s basic personality.
• the nature of the event.

• the reaction of the department.
• the reaction of the community.
• the officer's support system.

Depression Phase

The officer “gets over” the total preoccupation with the event.

• Accepts the fact that the event occurred and resumes a normal life
• This phase can be reached sooner through professional counseling.

Acceptance Phase

The psychological and physical symptoms may be similar as listed in other critical incidents, but more severe and longer lasting due to the seriousness of the event and secondary trauma occurring after the incident due to media, investigative procedures, court proceedings, peer and public opinion.

Assault or Shooting

Many department policies allow for a gun substitution. It is common for an officer to feel like the “bad guy” … like “killing the messenger” during investigative proceedings and steps should be taken to minimize that affect such as keeping the officer informed of the rationale of investigative procedures and allowing the officer as much control as possible.

In a shooting, it is common department/investigative procedures to remove the gun from the officer’s possession as evidence.

TCOLE Review

Explore ways to prepare and assist yourself or someone else cope with a critical incident with minimum of pain and scarring.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.16

Navarro College Police Academy

Minimizing Pain and Scarring in Critical Incident Recovery

Assist with basic needs first.

• Ensure and assure safety.
• Help to notify family and assist with connection (i.e., phone call or transport).
• Take over with officer and family’s consent, as many of the small duties as possible. (i.e., feed dog, transport kids, groceries, meals, handle phone calls and visitors)

Date

Physical presence: sit quietly with them, listen…listen…listen…allow silence if they don’t want to talk. Don’t offer answers; offer presence, comfort, reality, assistance with logistics and decisions, and listen…listen…listen.Continued reassurance that what they are experiencing is normal in this abnormal situation.

Assist in keeping routine as much as possible (i.e., rest, exercise, eating). Ensure someone is close. (i.e., partner or significant other stays close by).

Keywords

Assist with resources (i.e., CISM team, Employee Assistance Program, PEER Network). Designate someone to handle media. Follow Department guidelines regarding these incidents.

Discussion

Interview police officers who have experienced critical incident stress. Choose panel of 3-5 officers or video them to present to class. Use a balance of incidents such as: shooting, assault, environmental emergency, etc.

Any questions?

Discuss Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.17

Navarro College Police Academy

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Symptoms like CIS but are more severe and persist longer than one month after an incident and will continue to affect person’s life.

PTSD

to him or her. If that backfire reminds the officer of the gunfight and triggers some memories, that may be an indication of healthy recovery from CIS. But if the officers react with the same intensity, fear, and anxiety as when he or she was in the gunfight, this might indicate PTSD.

In PTSD the response pattern triggered by a similar stressor is similar in intensity to the original event. It as if they are there living it, not just remembering it. It may be triggered by a similar sound, sight smell on sensation. For example, consider an officer who has been in a serious gun fight four years ago who hears a car unexpectedly backfire next

PTSD

Avoidance of reminders of events and responses to normal events are numb. Increased arousal with sleep difficulties, exaggerated startle responses, unusual irritability, or anger outbursts. Professional psychological help needed to recover from PTSD.

ptsd

Research the impact of yoga among prior military with diagnosed PTSD vs. talk therapy alone. Present your findings to your peers.

discuss

REFERENCE

Research syncopations (heart rate vs. respiratory rate) and why deep breathing matters how it impacts the brain and the body. Present your findings to your peers.

discuss

REFERENCE

Name the symptoms of PTSD. How does PTSD differ from CIS?

TCOLE TEST PRep

Increase awareness of prevalence of suicide.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.18

Navarro College Police Academy

Suicide Statistics - General Population

• 90% of people who die by suicide have a diagnosable and treatable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.
• Frequency of suicide in the US:1 every 14.2 minutes.
• Nearly 1,000,000 people make a suicide attempt every year.
• Most people with mental illness do not die by suicide.
• Recent data puts yearly medical costs for suicide at nearly $100 million (2005).
• Men are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than women. Women attempt suicide three times as often as men.
• Suicide rates are highest for people between the ages of 40 and 59.
• White individuals are most likely to die by suicide, followed by Native American peoples.
• Men more often use firearms; women more often use drugs or poisons (2009).

Suicide Statistics - Law Enforcement

• 2000-2010 has shown a gradual reduction of law enforcement felony deaths despite increasing gang activity, availability of automatic weapons, drug trafficking. With survival training and improved technology and equipment, we are doing well in officer survival on the street.
• We are losing the battle of emotional survival.
• An average, 60 law enforcement officers died feloniously in the U.S each year during the 2000’s. The loss of one police officer’s life to a felony is unacceptable and agencies do everything possible to increase officer survival, yet the suicide rate is a concern.
• Marital problems or relational problems is the leading cause.
• Legal trouble is the second leading cause.
• Suspension/work related stress.
• Suicide rate increases drastically at retirement especially if there is a medical disability.

According to a study conducted in 2006, “Although the suicide rate of 18.1 for law enforcement personnel is higher than the 11.4 in the general population, it is not higher than would be expected for people of similar age, race, and gender. Thus, any difference between law enforcement rates and rates in the general population can be completely explained by the race, gender, and age of people who enter the law enforcement field. This is an important point because it suggests that speculation about such factors as job stress and the availability of weapons are not factors that are exclusively associated with law enforcement suicide. Although even one suicide is too many, allocating mental health resources to law enforcement personnel at the expense of other professions does not appear justified. Furthermore, the reasons that officers commit suicide are similar to those of the general population with the possible exception of legal problems.”

An officer has a duty to seek help and assure they are maintaining emotional health. Both physical health and emotional health must be maintained.

Responsibility

Recognize common signs of suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.19

Navarro College Police Academy

Recognize common signs of suicidal thoughts and behavior

Losses—loved one, health, divorce, job, cherished possessions, retirement, financial problems, legal problems, victim of a crime, sexual assault, witness to violence.

Other Signs:

• Loss/change in important relationship
• Expresses hopelessness, depression, guilt
• Change in sleep and, or appetite
• Minimal social support
• Alcohol/Substance abuse
• Legal problems/Financial problems
• Under investigation
• Talks about death or wanting to die

Identify strategies to assist a coworker contemplating suicide.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.20

Navarro College Police Academy

AID LIFE

Ask – Don’t be afraid to ask, “Are you thinking of hurting or killing yourself?” Intervene immediately. Take action, tell the person they are not alone. Don’t keep it a secret Locate help – Seek a mental health professional, peer support, chaplain, family member, or a friend. Inform supervisor of the situation Find someone to stay with the person. Expedite. Get help immediately and don’t leave the person alone.

Identify strategies to assist a coworker contemplating suicide.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.20

Navarro College Police Academy

Alcohol and drug abuse in the law enforcement workplace

Hundreds of books, articles, and research reports have been written about alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace

They almost all lead to the following conclusions:

Problems, symptoms, and responses to substance abuse in law enforcement

• A significant number of U.S. workers abuse alcohol and/or drugs.
• Alcohol and/or drug use occurs on the job as well as off the job.
• Alcohol and drug use endangers the health and safety of these workers, their co-workers, and the public.
• Law enforcement is not immune, but the nature of the profession may present barriers to an officer getting help.

Conclusions:

Discuss

The Problem of Workplace Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Law Enforcement:

Officers with serious alcohol problems

23%

53%

Officers coming to work with a hangover

Officers with serious drug problems

10%

The Problem of Workplace Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Law Enforcement:

Although these statistics describe the American work force as a whole, they are probably very good indicators of the problem of alcohol and drug abuse in the specific area of law enforcement. Of the studies that have been done on law enforcement, most suggest that alcohol and drug abuse is as frequent as or more frequent than in the general population.

These problems may or may not be prevalent in Texas. A survey of 2,200 officers in 29 police departments throughout the U.S. revealed that 23% of the officers had serious alcohol problems and 10% had serious drug problems. This number is substantially higher than the number estimated for the general population. A study of officers in a major mid-western state revealed that 53% came to work with a hangover, and that an “average” officer drank alcohol on the job almost eight days every half year.

• High levels of stress.
• Peer pressure.
• Isolation from the mainstream.
• A preponderance of young male individuals and a culture that approves of using alcohol to relax and cope with stress.

Risk factors for the law enforcement profession include:

Add to that a need for emotional control, and a disposition to solve problems and move on, can make officers quick to get rid of their problems rather than face them and work through them. Hypervigilance can drive officers to seek extreme means to help them relax. The myth image that those officers are problem-free problem solvers may encourage reliance on alcohol or substances rather than people to reduce stress and tension.

DISCUSS:Discuss the impacts of on-the-job trauma. Consider your own personal trauma when interacting with survivors/victims who experience trauma as a way to build empathy.

Explain myths and realities of alcoholism.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.22

Navarro College Police Academy

Explain myths and realities of alcoholism.

Myth

Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic

Reality:

Alcoholism is a disease for which recovery is possible IF the person experiencing alcoholism begins and sticks with a recovery program. If not, a premature death is likely.

Explain myths and realities of alcoholism.

Myth

Alcohol helps to sleep

Reality:

Alcohol may help with onset of sleep but interferes with necessary Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep causing sleep impairment.

Explain myths and realities of alcoholism.

Myth

Alcoholism is caused by a lack of willpower, immorality, weak character, or police stress.

Reality:

No one really knows what compels a person to drink. Studies have implicated physical, genetic, psychological, environmental, and social factors.

Explain myths and realities of alcoholism.

Myth

All people experiencing alcoholism are skid-row drunks.

Reality:

Many people experiencing alcoholism hold high-level jobs and function well at work for years before their performance affected by drinking is noticeable.

Explain myths and realities of alcoholism.

Myth

If a person experiencing alcoholism can stop drinking, he or she doesn’t have a problem.

Reality:

Abstinence is not a sign that someone is free of alcoholism. AA calls these abstainers “dry drunks.”

Explain myths and realities of alcoholism.

Myth

A person experiencing alcoholism drink every day.

Reality:

Alcohol abuse patterns vary. Some get drunk daily and others on weekends. Some stay sober for months and then go on a long binge.

Discuss signs and symptoms of drug/alcohol abuse and the personal consequences of personal use.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.23

Navarro College Police Academy

signs and symptoms of drug/alcohol abuse

• Failed attempts to cut back or quit for whatever reason
• Difficulty enjoying life or social setting without alcohol or drugs
• Declining performance
• Feeling guilty about drinking/drug use or angry if confronted about drinking
• Drink alcohol or frequently hung over on the job
• Need a drink to get going
• Financial or relationship problems related to alcohol or drugs

signs and symptoms of drug/alcohol abuse, Cont.

• Blaming others of drug or alcohol use
• Hiding alcohol or drugs
• Black outs or lapses of memory
• Heavy reliance on alcohol for escape or reward
• Use of alcohol to replace direct communication or problem-solving
• Loss of control of drinking.
• Drinking despite consequences. Alcohol is the perfect solvent—dissolves jobs, homes and families.
• Drink to “prepare” or “recover” from an event

The continued exposure/activation of arousal system can change the brain and make discerning danger an issue for the officer and for the people they are encountering.

The solution to alcohol/drug abuse in law enforcement begins with the individual officer. The responsibility of the individual officer is two-fold:

To evaluate their own use of alcohol and drugs

To assist co-workers who are experiencing alcohol/drug problems

discuss

It is the officer’s duty to seek help to assure they are maintaining emotional health. Research available programs directed to law enforcement professionals. Share with your peers.

Discuss responsibilities an officer has to a co-worker when substance abuse threatens the safety and efficiency of the department.

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.24

Navarro College Police Academy

Assisting co-workers

Experts agree that the earlier an alcohol or drug abusing employee is helped, the more likely they will be able to recover. Unfortunately, co-workers are often the first to see a problem, but the last to intervene. Often this is because they fail to understand how they can help. Alcohol-related misconduct is often covered up until there is a crisis.

Examples of covering up could include:

• Not arresting a coworker stopped for driving under the influence.
• Not ticketing an illegally parked car that belongs to a drunken cop.

• Driving when their partner is too hungover to navigate and wants to sleep it off in the back seat.
• Ignoring the smell of alcohol on an on-duty coworker’s breath or covering up for lack of performance while drunk or hung-over.

Co-workers can help in five ways:

1. Be aware and recognize the problem.
2. Urge the person to seek help.
3. Encourage the person after they seek help.
4. Keep in mind that avoiding the problem only contributes to the denial of the abuser, and that alcohol/drug abuse will eventually have serious physical and emotional consequences.
5. Consider discussing resources, such as peer support, critical incident response team, employee assistance program, professional substance abuse programs, and hotlines.

📄

You may have concerns for a coworker’s wellbeing but your approach, to avoid legal traps, is to focus on performance and the safety and efficiency of your department. If you suspect an alcohol/drug problem, refrain from offering the fellow officer your “diagnosis.” Diagnosis is the job of professionals. Instead, tell the officer you are concerned about the safety of others and encourage them to seek assistance from their supervisor or a counselor. If they refuse to get help or change, discuss your concerns about safety with a supervisor.

Discuss consequences of steroid abuse

Fitness, Wellness, Stress Management 3.25

Navarro College Police Academy

Steroid Use

Steroid use in law enforcement is used to get a performance edge on the “bad guy”. The increase in muscle mass and confidence often sought after can be obtained through a sensible fitness regime.

Steroid use can cause severe physical and psychological changes: o Increased cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose o Increased irritability and hostility “road rage” o Increased risks of liver cancer, hepatitis, hypertension, and diabetes

• Mood swings and increased aggressiveness
• Acne
• Voice lowering (in females)
• Increases in facial and body hair
• Above normal gains in muscle mass to seek help and assure they are maintaining emotional health. Both physical health and emotional health must be maintained.

Symptoms

TCOLE REVIEW