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Stop Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a significant global human rights issue, and sadly since human trafficking is covert, and since reporting is inconsistent, accurate data is scarce. People who are victims of human trafficking can be of any race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or nationality. Trafficking occurs to adults and minors across American communities, whether in the suburbs, rural areas, or urban areas. Various reasons may contribute to the victimization of these individuals, such as homelessness, runaway status, abuse, neglect, and a lack of safety at home due to violence. Millions of people across the globe are trafficked every year - including here in the United States (Department of Homeland Security, 2022).
In the meantime, human trafficking is something that everyone is capable of discovering. There are many red flags and indicator signs that can help identify a human trafficking situation, such as; signs of physical abuse, poor living conditions, is the person fearful, timid, or submissive, does the individual appears to be coached on what to say, or does that person have freedom of movement (Department of Homeland Security, 2022). In light of this, there are numerous ways to support these victims of human trafficking once you have noticed these red flags and indicators. For instance, initiating a conversation in private, providing support and empowerment, listening to their comments and concerns, supporting their decisions, offering to help, and finally, if you believe that you have identified someone in the trafficking situation, alert law enforcement immediately (Supporting Victims of Human Trafficking-Valley Crisis Center, 2022). The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888, a 24-hour, toll-free, multilingual anti-trafficking hotline.
Nevertheless, there are simple ways to get involved and make a real difference: raise awareness of the issue on a local, regional, and national level, fundraise for anti-trafficking organizations, volunteer for anti-trafficking organizations, and promote anti-trafficking legislation (Public Service Degrees, 2020). The trauma suffered by survivors of human trafficking can often last a lifetime, both psychologically and physically. All anti-trafficking efforts should incorporate trauma-informed efforts to support survivors effectively, including the criminal justice system and victim services. When deploying prevention strategies and engaging with survivors, trauma-informed coping strategies and media reporting should also include a trauma-informed approach—getting trauma-informed means responding to the impacts of trauma on a person's life on a strengths-based approach. Human trafficking victims should be treated to minimize the likelihood of re-traumatizing them by recognizing signs of trauma and designing all interactions with them accordingly. To address survivors' unique experiences and needs, this solution focuses on creating a sense of physical, psychological, and emotional safety and well-being (US Department of State, 2021).
Sources:
Department of Homeland Security. (2022, April 13). What Is Human Trafficking? | Homeland Security. DHS. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking
Supporting Victims of Human Trafficking – Valley Crisis Center. (2022). Valley Crisis Center. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.valleycrisiscenter.org/supporting-victims-of-human-trafficking/
US Department of State. (2021, January 10). Identify and Assist a Trafficking Victim. United States Department of State. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.state.gov/identify-and-assist-a-trafficking-victim/
Public Service Degrees. (2020, August 14). Be the Change: How You Can Help End Human Trafficking. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.publicservicedegrees.org/403.shtml/
A Private War: Why PTSD Is Still Overlooked
Why PTSD is still overlooked: I came across a very interesting article in the New York Times that was published by Dani Blum, but was information from Van der Kolk and other very prominent researchers and experts. I wanted to address one of the comments by one of the expert that mention: "Some experts say this pervasiveness has diluted the meaning of PTSD. The disorder stems from severe trauma, said John Tully, a clinical associate professor in forensic psychiatry at the University of Nottingham in England. “We’re talking life-threatening or close,” he said. The term loses its meaning when people apply it too broadly, he said — and PTSD means more than wrestling with the aftermath of an upsetting event." This comment struck me because in the beginning of the article it mentions that 70 percent of adults in the United States experience one traumatic event and about only 6 percent will develop PTSD the bulk being women. I feel a lot of PTSD in women can stem from childbirth as mentioned a women was diagnosed with PTSD after she delivered a stillborn baby, she expressed after leaving the hospital forgetting how to even get home and feeling like she had arrived from mars. I feel that not only is PTSD being overlooked but it is also being overlooked in women who have given birth. The rewarding opportunity to bring life into the world is such an honor as a mom but in that same sentence can be so difficult especially for new moms. An article from the The Atlantic expressed the misdiagnosis of postpartum depression with postpartum PTSD which differ in the since that postpartum depression is commonly associated with sadness, trouble concentrating, and having a hard time finding happiness in activities versus postpartum PTSD is associated with flashback and intrusive memories. For mothers this traumatic experience can come before or during pregnancy and can be associated with severe morning sickness, bad reactions to fertility etc or when your baby has medical problems during labor.
Based on these articles and how much postpartum PTSD, I know of mothers who experienced things that these exact women experienced during giving birth and how it has had such a long term effect on them. At the time I did not consider their symptoms to be associated with PTSD but I know how it made them feel, even looking at some women who can't produce milk for their children through their whole pregnancy and it makes them feel like a failure of a mother and as if they aren't able to provide for their child. For some women this is such a traumatic event, especially as a mom. Which makes some women afraid to have more children because of some of the complication they experienced with their first kid.
Overall, my purpose of this article was to just to shed light on how PTSD is being overlooked in many different aspects. And so many people go without getting help because you have experts that make comments like the one above not wanting to dilute the word PTSD and neglecting the many that suffer. What may not be considered a life-threatening traumatic event to some" can seem like the end of the world to many.
References:
Blum, D. (2022, April 4). A private war: Why PTSD is still overlooked. The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/well/mind/ptsd-trauma-symptoms.html
Strauss, I. E. (2015, October 2). The mothers who can't escape the trauma of childbirth. The Atlantic. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/the-mothers-who-cant-escape-the-trauma-of-childbirth/408589/
Indigenous Generational Trauma
The concept of trauma and its aftereffects have long been little understood. People deal with traumatic situations differently and what may not affect some can scar others for life. Its complexities are still not entirely understood and the aftereffects of trauma, even less so. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other disorders that develop as a result of experiencing a traumatic event are at the forefront of this class. I chose to delve into the effects of intergenerational trauma in individuals. Specifically, looking into the effects of intergenerational trauma on indigenous groups piqued my interests. My mother is Ecuadorian and natively indigenous to that country, so many of the experiences of Canadian Native Americans and are similar to hers and that of her family. Trauma, in this context, is not an isolated event or incident. Rather, it spans decades and even centuries starting with distant ancestors and accumulating to the experiences of the individual today. It’s a tragic inheritance and the cyclical nature of it means that generational trauma is one of the most devastating results of racism and colonialism present today.
In class, we learned about genocide and the devastating effects on individuals who have lived through genocides of their people, along with the effects that this is bound to have in their lives after survival. The Holocaust was a recent infamous example of this and the way it has shaped the Jewish population throughout the world is profound. Another form of genocide that has more recently been accepted is cultural genocide, which, according to the European University Institute, is “the systematic destruction of traditions, values, language, and other elements that make one group of people distinct from another” (Novic, 1970). Indigenous peoples across the world, and specifically in the Americas, have experienced both traditional genocide and cultural for centuries. Across generations, they have had to deal with the attempted erasure of their very selves, their culture, their traditions and what makes them a distinct race. The very fabric of their generational beings has been threatened and abused. Native Americans deal with psychological issues, including “depression, substance abuse, collective trauma exposure, interpersonal losses and unresolved grief and related problems within the lifespans and across generations, along with having higher health disparities than any other racial group in the United States (Brave Heart et. al, 2011, pg. 282). Substance abuse and suicide rates are also significantly higher among indigenous populations than any other, with the suicide rates being a shocking 50% higher than the national average (Brave Heart et. al, 2011, pg. 283). The effects of generational trauma, including forced assimilation and genocide, are more devastating and pertinent for this ethnic group than perhaps any others in the Americas.
(Image of Indigenous people from Bolivia https://southamericamission.org/donate/ministries/indigenous-rural-outreach/)
I think the profound trauma inflicted on indigenous groups is something that needs to get far more mainstream attention than I feel it does. Indigenous peoples are such a high-risk group that more programs and the like need to be directed toward them. They carry the weight of ancestors’ traumas that cannot truly be put into words. The burden must be astronomical, and the horrifying part is that it’s not over. This isn’t simply past trauma that they must cope with, but ongoing. Ideally, I would like to see more scholarly work done on the topic in the future and particularly, on South American indigenous populations. Throughout my preliminary search on the topic, it quickly became clear that there is far less material available and beneficial infrastructure for South American indigenous population as compared to their North American counterparts.
References:
Brave Heart, M. Y., Chase, J., Elkins, J., & Altschul, D. B. (2011). Historical trauma among indigenous peoples of the americas: Concepts, research, and clinical considerations. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 43(4), 282–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2011.628913
Novic, E. (1970, January 1). The concept of cultural genocide : An international law perspective. Cadmus Home. https://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/43864
Adolescent Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-Informed Care is a vital tool to use in helping individuals cope with trauma, especially adolescents. Here is an infographic to visually share some key aspects of trauma-informed care when working with adolescents.
Unpacking Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a disorder that has encapsulated the minds of societies around the world. You may be wondering, what makes psychopathy so interesting? Depending on who you ask you will probably get a different answer. Some people believe that it is because they are able to tap into the egos that most people would rather and probably chose to stay hidden. Looking back at the research done by Sigmund Freud on psychoanalytical theory, he postulated that the mind is composed of three elements: The Id, Ego and Super-Ego. An average person’s Ego “ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world” (Cherry, 2020). Part of what makes psychopathy interesting is that, the parts of the brain that are responsible for emotions such as empathy, guilt, fear and anxiety are still present but reduced. With advancements in technology we now have the ability to scan people’s brains (as seen below in the image by Dr. James Fallon) and take a more introspective glimpse into what the minds of people. A study done the University of Wisconsins School of Medicine shows that “both structural and functional differences in the brains of people diagnosed with psychopath and those two structures in the brain, which are believed to regulate emotion and social behavior, seem to not be communicating as they should” (Koenigs, 2017). This study opens so many doors for researchers from all different disciplines to explore psychopathy. It is important for psychopathy to be explore by numerous disciplines because not only it is imperative that we know the medical side of psychopathy because it allows us to view this disorder from multiple angles. Including different disciplines such as education and psychology into the world of psychopathy allows a more effective and ethical approach to psychopathy. Another essential disciple is education, which is vital because it allows it allows us to learn what causes psychopathy, who may be more susceptible too and knowing these things can be substantial in reducing a problem before a larger one arises.
I think another large part of what makes people so fascinated by psychopathy is that on the outside they are just like anybody else, they have an ability to turn on and off their charm and their cunningness. They walk, talk and dress like us which allows them to blend into the rest of society. Characteristics such as charm and cunningness often lead to them being attractive to others and being able to advance in the world. They know how to get what they want and they are smart and know how to manipulate others. The idea of having a so-called “hidden personality” is what makes people so interested in psychopathy. Also, the idea that we may not even know someone is a psychopath, they could be standing right next to us, a friend, a family member or really anybody. This has transcended into them being popular topics in media, film, television, writing and more.
Sources:
Fallon, J. (2005). Control v. james fallon’s brain. CNN: UC Irvine. accessed 16 April 2022.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2014/05/28/erin-intv-fallon-inside-the-mind-of-a-young-killer.cnn
University of Wisconsin-Madison: School of Medicine. (2017). Psychopath’s brain show differences in structure and function.
https://www.med.wisc.edu/news-and-events/2011/november/psychopaths-brains-differences-structure-function/#:~:text=The%20study%20showed%20that%20psychopaths,of%20brain%20images%20were%20collected.
Cherry, K. (2020). Freud’s id, ego and superego. Very Well Minded.
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-id-ego-and-superego-2795951
Erasing the mental health stigma for law enforcement
Therapy is often seen as taboo, especially in certain job fields. Police officers are perhaps one of the most important groups that should be seeking support, but the stigma surrounding therapy stops them. Many departments, however, are trying to defeat this stigma. In Washington D.C., a grant of $7 million dollars was created. The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act would be used for access to better mental health care for law enforcement (Justice Department Announces Funding to Promote Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness, 2021). The funding would allow training, demonstration projects, new practices related to peer mentoring, mental health, wellness, and sucicide prevention programs (2021).
This isn’t the first act, and it definitely won’t be the last act, that aims to provide mental health resources to law enforcement. The more acts/grants that are created, the more the stigma around mental health will be erased for this field and others. Law enforcement professionals have hard jobs. They handle danger, pressure, and the responsibility of protecting the public. This alone creates a lot of stress on them. The global pandemic had only increased the amount of stress and worry on officers, nurses, etc. Now more than ever, we as a society should be focused on promoting mental health, not stigmatizing it in a negative way. Seeking therapy should be no different than going to the doctor for an illness. We need to be mentally healthy just as much as we do physically, especially when carrying out a job like police officers do.
Sources:
Justice Department Announces Funding to Promote Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness (2021, October 14). In Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-funding-promote-law-enforcement-mental-health-and-wellness
Person-Centered, Trauma Informed Care for Holocaust Survivors
All “Holocaust survivors have endured trauma” according to Kavod, a journal dedicated to survivors (2018). Results of their trauma are physical, neurological, psychological, social, and cultural impacts. Physical impacts include, but are not limited to poor dental care and diabetes, and if the Holocaust survivor lived in the Former Soviet Union near Chernobyl, they faced all kinds of problems due to the radiation (benign tumors, heart disease, pulmonary disease, etc.). Neurological impacts include Dementia and Alzheimers. Psychological impacts include, but are not limited to hoarding (afraid of not having enough because they had nothing during the war), PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Social impacts include, but are not limited to trust issues, 2nd and 3rd generation intergenerational trauma, living below the poverty line, etc.. And the cultural impacts of the trauma mostly have an effect on religion. Some Holocaust survivors become culturally religious because they feel as though God have saved them, while others become anti-religious because they question “why did God allow this tragedy to happen?” With all of these impacts of their trauma in-mind, the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) knew that Holocaust survivors needed more than regular trauma-informed care. So in 2015, JFNA came up with Person-Centered Trauma-Informed Care (PCTI) that would address all the needs of survivors that are not just limited to therapy. PCTI is a “holistic approach to providing services. It would promote dignity, strength, and empowerment of trauma victims by incorporating knowledge about trauma in victims’ lives into agency programs, policies and procedures” (ACL 2021). In addition to therapy, other services will be provided that focus on mental, cognitive, and physical health, education and training to caregivers and people who will routinely interact with the survivor, socialization with support groups, and support for families of survivors and their caregivers. JFNA awarded over 80 plus sub-grants to nonprofit organizations like Jewish Family & Children Services. The goals and services of the program include: “reduce social isolation among survivors; improve the physical, emotional, mental, and cognitive health of survivors; increase survivors’ access to supportive, legal, and financial services; and train and educate professional staff, family caregivers, and volunteers about caring for survivors in a PCTI way” (Kavod 2018).
Person-Centered Trauma-Informed Care is unique in the sense that all services are catered toward the patient, meaning that no treatment plan or interaction is the same. The environment will adjust in accordance to the patient’s needs and their triggers. Services are meant to be given in a safe, non-threatening, and non-traumatizing manner. Yesterday, I was able to interview a social worker from Jewish Children & Family Services who offered me an example of how the environment adjusted to her client. One of her clients, a Holocaust survivor, was a widower who had trouble sharing his story and had a lot of anxiety coming into the office. She asked him, “what makes you relaxed before going to bed?” He described that listening to classical music and dancing relieved his anxiety. So for every meeting with him, she would play classical music when he walked in and danced in the room for 5 minutes with the door open. Once that idea had occurred, the following session he was able to share his story. In a typical therapy session, it is unusual to do this, but in PCTI, everything is based on the individual’s comfort in their environment and the people they surround. Jewish Children & Family Services also train staff, volunteers, caregivers, and family members how to interact with the survivor and how to recognize signs of post-traumatic stress. In one year of the program, 98% of trained participants of PCTI felt that “they can now identify potentially traumatizing situations that may impact survivors” while 94% felt that “they are competent in creating a trauma-informed environment for Holocaust survivors” (Kavod 2018).
Overall, the recently established PCTI care program has been proven effective, and according to the social worker I had interviewed, she sees a great deal of improvement in her patients, many of whom turn their trauma into a positive thing by sharing their stories to others.
Works Cited
Person-centered, trauma-informed service. ACL Administration for Community Living. (2021, November 8). Retrieved from https://acl.gov/programs/strengthening-aging-and-disability-networks/advancing-care-holocaust-survivors-older
Teaching about trauma: Models for training service providers in person-centered, trauma-informed care. Kavod. (2018, February 27). Retrieved from http://kavod.claimscon.org/2018/02/teaching-about-trauma-models-for-training-service-providers-in-person-centered-trauma-informed-care/
Trauma Theater: Real Therapy or Fun Fiction…
Before I begin explaining my understanding of Trauma Theater, I must first begin with a little history on how I learned of trauma theater. I recently learned of a trauma-based therapy that utilized theater as a means of coping with trauma. In the book, “The Body Keeps the Score” (van der Kolk, 2014) Dr. Van Der Kolk discusses his positive experiences with theater-based trauma therapy and even discusses how it helped his son following a mysterious illness.
There is little information about exactly when this form of therapy started or who pioneered it, but one thing I found to be certain was that this therapy method is alive and well. It seems to be consistently used with troubled adolescents and veterans suffering from PTSD but can also be applied to others suffering from a traumatic incident. Historically speaking it may date as far back as Shakespeare and his utilization of trauma to create while writing his plays. Dr. Van Der Kolk discusses in his book that he learned about it from a group of veterans he had been treating for PTSD and how he discovered that the theatrical production was a part of the recent positive changes he observed during therapy with these veterans.
Dr. Van Der Kolk’s book is what first introduced me to this type of therapy and although I found it to be an interesting process, I did notice that a majority of the programs discussed in the book or on the internet reside on the east coast of the U.S. I have no doubt some also exist on the west coast, but since I have mostly lived in Colorado I had never heard of this therapy. Naturally, I was a little skeptical of the process and had difficulty seeing how it would apply to me or anyone I know who has experienced trauma.
In my profession I work a lot with juveniles who have entered the justice system or are frequently contacted by the police. We do not have programs like you see in Boston or New York City. In Colorado the typical approach is what you see in mainstream psychology. There are programs that work with juveniles, but it is more traditional counseling and if they have absent or uninvolved parents it typically does little good because they immediately return to crime and drugs.
This is why I found the “Trauma Drama” program so interesting. In an article I found on Statnews.com, “Trauma Drama is a theater-based therapy program for teenagers with severe emotional and behavioral problems. The idea is that theater can help this group of troubled adolescents regulate their emotions and build skills to cope with trauma” (says, 2016). After reading about these programs, I kept wondering if there was an application in the juvenile justice system as a whole.
Besides its use among troubled adolescents, I found an article in Psychology Today that discussed the work of Renee Emunah and how she was using her “techniques, exercises and methods to bring new life to hospitalized patients experiencing psychosis” (Healing Trauma with Psychodrama, 2018). I am not a psychologist, but to me this sounds like something worth considering just given the evidence of success with veterans, adolescents and people experiencing varying degrees of trauma. So why isn’t this method nationally recognized and used? Even in Van Der Kolk’s book it states “all of these programs share a common foundation of the painful realities of life and symbolic transformation through communal action. Love and hate, aggression and surrender, loyalty and betrayal are the stuff of theater and the stuff of trauma” (van der Kolk, 2014).
I will not argue that theater draws on the same emotions that are often experienced during trauma. The human experience is full of difficult and often painful encounters, so why is this not a more commonly known and utilized therapy? Is it simply because it can only act as a piece of the solution to dealing with trauma or is it because mainstream psychologists stick to what they’ve learned and use what has worked best for them? From my research this seems to be a widely used technique, but there is little information on why or if this form of therapy really works for people.
Do psychologists always have to have the data present to accept a certain method for treating patients? I am not sure if there will ever be a definitive answer until more in-depth research is completed on the success of such a program, but if that were always the case then why are therapies like EMDR so widely used? There are plenty of people on both sides of the fence when it comes to EMDR, yet it is commonly used in trauma-based therapy. I guess as an individual I would have to decide for myself. Maybe a program like this could be introduced in Colorado and could be utilized to aide adolescents in leading meaningful lives or could help veterans process their trauma. Maybe a program like this could even be introduced with first responders who are suffering from PTSD.
Ultimately, there will probably always be those who find drama therapy useful and can see the success while others will undoubtedly find the issues within. Just like many other forms of therapy they do not all work for everyone. We all have certain things that resonate with us better than others or our brains are wired differently which means different approaches are necessary to live successful and meaningful lives. I can not definitively say that trauma theater is fiction and have found that programs exist which utilize drama therapy for treatment. It is not a one stop shop to dealing with trauma, but I can see the benefits it may offer for some people. Trauma theater may allow someone to access their experiences in a safe space, by giving them the opportunity to confront an abusive parent or the offender who assaulted them. There are so many options for therapy out there it is hard to dismiss something with such a large following.
Maybe trauma therapy is here to stay, and we will see more studies done showing the progress of the programs available. This type of therapy seems to be utilized on such a broad spectrum of trauma survivors that there is no reason it shouldn’t continue to be used.
References:
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.
says, M. B. (2016, August 23). Teens work through trauma using theater as therapy. STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2016/08/23/theater-trauma-teenagers/#:~:text=Called%20Trauma%20Drama%2C%20it
Healing Trauma with Psychodrama. (2018). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-new-normal/201804/healing-trauma-psychodrama
(image) Young People Are Using Musical Theater to Heal Their Trauma — and It’s Working. (2019, July 12). NationSwell. https://nationswell.com/news/young-people-musical-theater-trauma/
Trauma on the Job: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Law Enforcement Officers
As we have learned throughout this course, PTSD is prevalent among many people and professions. However, being a law enforcement officer, PTSD is a personal concern because every police officer is one situation or call away from experiencing something stressful and traumatizing that could end up causing them to suffer from PTSD. PTSD can commonly be linked to the inability to sleep, nightmares, intrusive memories that don’t fade in intensity, physical reactions to places or other things associated with the event, the feeling of always being on guard or, by contrast, feeling numb (Lexipol, 2016). Karen Lansing, a licensed psychotherapist and Diplomate of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, states “it’s tempting to associate PTSD with a single incident, stressing that it is often caused by exposure to numerous traumatic incidents over several years or, in some cases, an entire career. I typically see what we call cumulative PTSD” (Lexipol, 2016). Additionally, Lansing states “Incidents involving shootings or improvised explosive devices will often open the door. It’s easier for an officer to come in after one of those incidents because everyone understands that they should be talking about it. But the shooting or ‘things that go bang’ are just the latest incident sitting on top of a stack of other traumatic incidents” (Lexipol, 2016).
Dealing with PTSD in law enforcement provides its own challenges and obstacles, but other challenges these officers face are what treatments are available and effective to help law enforcement officers deal with PTSD. Lansing uses a technique called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), where Lansing acts almost like a Field Training Officer, guiding the officer through a process of reliving the incident, resolving the trauma, and then mining it for any learning points it has to offer that could be important in the future. EMDR allows the brain to reprocess the incident to full resolution in a safe environment. “The officer is in full control, with me riding shotgun should he need some back-up if things get hung up” (Lexipol, 2016). Lansing says she begins the process of EMDR by tending to the most highly triggering event first such as an officer involved shooting. She states that once this memory is neutralized or the officer is at peace with it, she then moves on to what flashback comes next. Lansing continues to knock these memories off one by one until the officer is feeling better.
As important as these therapy sessions are to officers suffering with PTSD, I have argued and as this course has proved, leadership and administration of police departments are just as critical and important in helping officers deal with PTSD. Lansing states that she can take care neutralizing PTSD easily through therapy sessions, however if she encounters trauma after she neutralizes the event due to poor leadership, she might not be able to succeed and help the officer. “In all of the many hundreds she has helped return fully to the job after treating their PTSD, there are nine who Lansing was not able to return, six in one law enforcement agency and three in another. These were very troubled agencies and all nine were lost due to this leadership issue” (Lexipol, 2016) In order to overcome the obstacles of poor leadership, Lansing believes “training first responders as well as ensuring that officers get at least seven hours of sleep and receive early clinical interventions, such as department-wide annual check-ins with a psychotherapist. Since 2008, she’s also focused on the need for better leadership training” (Lexipol, 2016).
This information and study completed by Lansing has really solidified the need in my opinion for all police departments to start early intervention when an officer is exposed to a traumatic event. My department offers peer counselors to any officer who needs someone to talk to if they are having trouble. The issue with this is that most police officers that I know don’t like to be seen as weak and will never admit that they are suffering or need help. As Lansing states, good leadership and training is needed so that everyone in a department is aware of the effects that PTSD can have on a person. Creating a culture that embraces the impact that PTSD has on its officers starts at the top and trickles down through leadership and training. Being able to understand this so that an officer doesn’t feel the need to suppress their feelings, so they aren’t seen as weak or vulnerable by their peers is imperative to combat PTSD. Overall, PTSD is prevalent in law enforcement and through this course, studies, and my own experience, it is nothing to take lightly and finding ways to help those officers suffering from PTSD is a collaborative effort by everyone in a department.
References:
Lexipol (2016). Trauma on the Job: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Law Enforcement Officers. Retrieved April 21, 2022 from https://www.lexipol.com/resources/blog/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-law-enforcement-officers/
Unpacking Psychopathology
Psychopathy is a disorder that has encapsulated the minds of societies around the world. You may be wondering, what makes psychopathy so interesting? Depending on who you ask you will probably get a different answer. Some people believe that it is because they are able to tap into the egos that a most of us would rather and chose to stay hidden. Looking back at the research done by Sigmund Freud on psychoanalytical theory, he postulated that the mind is composed of three elements. The Id, Ego and Super-Ego. An average person's Ego "ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world" (Cherry, 2020). What makes psychopathy interesting is that psychopathy is that, the parts of the brain that are responsible for emotions such as empathy, guilt, fear and anxiety are still present but reduced. With advancements in technology we now have the ability to scan people's brains (as seen below in the image by Dr. James Fallon) and take a more introspective glimpse into what the minds of people. A study done the University of Wisconsins School of Medicine shows that "both structural and functional differences in the brains of people diagnosed with psychopath and those two structures in the brain, which are believed to regulate emotion and social behavior, seem to not be communicating as they should" (Koenigs, 2017). This study opens so many doors for researchers from all different disciplines to explore psychopathy. It is important for psychopathy to be explore by numerous disciplines because not only it is important to know the medical side of psychopathy because it allows us to view this disorder from multiple angles. Including different disciplines such as education and psychology into the world of psychopathy allows a more effective and ethical approach to psychopathy. Education is vital because it allows it allows us to learn what causes psychopathy, who may be more susceptible too and knowing these things can be substantial in reducing a problem before a larger one arises.
I think another large part of what makes people so fascinated by psychopathy is that on the outside they are just like anybody else, they have an ability to turn on and off their charm and their cunningness. These characteristics often lead to them being attractive to others and being able to advance in the world. They know how to get what they want, they are smart and know how to manipulate others. The idea of having a so-called "hidden personality" is what makes people so interested in psychopathy. Also, the idea that we may not even know someone is a psychopath, they could be standing right next to us, a friend, a family member or really anybody. This has transcended into them being popular topics in media, film, television, writing and more.
Sources:
Fallon, J. (2005). Control v. james fallon's brain. CNN: UC Irvine. accessed 16 April 2022.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2014/05/28/erin-intv-fallon-inside-the-mind-of-a-young-killer.cnn
University of Wisconsin-Madison: School of Medicine. (2017). Psychopath's brain show differences in structure and function.
https://www.med.wisc.edu/news-and-events/2011/november/psychopaths-brains-differences-structure-function/#:~:text=The%20study%20showed%20that%20psychopaths,of%20brain%20images%20were%20collected.
Cherry, K. (2020). Freud's id, ego and superego. Very Well Minded.
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-id-ego-and-superego-2795951