Abstract
Substance abuse in the law enforcement profession continues to infect the group’s physical health and mental stability. Over the years this dynamic has been extensively hypothesized, researched, and analyzed for causations and correlations in both the cognitive and behavioral realms. Positive outcomes and accomplishments with lowering this unhealthy behavior risk factor among law enforcement are few in numbers. The research also demonstrates the need for uniformed protocols and policies for obtaining toxicology samples, analysis, and reports involving self-inflicted deaths of law enforcement officers. From our historical review and research, a new paradigm and perspective is needed to confront this risk factor and challenge the increasing rate of intoxicated law enforcement officer suicides.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2002). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR) (4th ed.). American Psychiatric Association. ISBN: 9780890420256.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Association. ISBN: 9780890425558.
Beutler, L. E., Nussbaum, P. D., & Meredith, K. E. (1998). Changing personality patterns of police officers. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19(5), 503–507.
Blackmore, J. (1978). Are police allowed to have problems of their own? Police Magazine, 1(3), 47–54.
Bloom, F. E., & Lazerson, A. (1988). Brain, mind and behavior. W.H. Freeman and Company.
Carolina, D. W., Fernanda, P. M., Alethea, Z., Luciano, M. S., Jeronimo, C. B., de Oliveira, J. F., et al. (2018). Mood disorder, anxiety, and suicide risk among subjects with alcohol abuse and/or dependence: a population-based study. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2016-2170
Cecilia, H., Mats, B., Cecilia, M., & Brådvik, L. (2018). First and subsequent lifetime alcoholism and mental disorders in suicide victims with reference to a community sample—the lundby study 1947-1997. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00173
Chae, M. H., & Boyle, D. J. (2013). Police suicide: Prevalence, risk, and protective factors. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 36(1), 91–118. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639511311302498
Christy, A., Anithakumari, A., & Biju, G. (2017). Depression among alcohol dependent patients: A cross-sectional study. Open Journal of Psychiatry and Allied Sciences, 9(1), 66–68. https://doi.org/10.5958/2394-2061.2018.00013.7
Cotman, C., & McGaugh, J. L. (1980). Behavioral neuroscience. Academic Press.
Davey, J. D., Obst, P. L., & Sheehan, M. C. (2001). It goes with the job: Officer’s insight into the impact of stress and culture on alcohol consumption within the policing occupation. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 8(2), 111–121.
Davis, B. O., Haltz, N., & Davis, J. C. (1985). Conceptual human physiology. Bell and Howell Company.
DuPont, R. L. (2010). Prescription drug abuse: An epidemic dilemma. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 42(2), 127–132.
Fekedulegn, D., Burchfiel, C. M., Ma, C. C., Andrew, M. E., Hartley, T. A., Charles, L. E., Gu, J. K., & Violanti, J. M. (2017). Fatigue and on-duty injury among police officers: the bcops study. Journal of Safety Research, 60, 43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2016.11.006
Frances, R. J., Miller, S. I., & Mack, A. H. (Eds.). (2005). Clinical textbook of addictive disorders (3rd ed.). Guilford.
Goedde, H. W., Singh, S., Agarwal, D. P., Fritze, G., Stapel, K., & Paik, Y. K. (2004). Genotyping of mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase in blood samples using allele-specific oligonucleotides: Comparison with phenotyping in hair roots. Human Genetics, 81, 305–307.
Greely, H. (2008). Towards responsible use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the healthy. Nature, 456(7223), 702–705.
Hitz, D. (1973). Drunken sailors and others: drinking problems in specific occupations. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 34, 496–505.
Janik, J., & Kravitz, H. M. (1994). Linking work and domestic problems with police suicide. Suicide and Life-threatening Behavior, 24(3), 267–274.
Johnson, O. (2020). [Unpublished raw data on the demographics of police suicides for the years 2017 to 2019]. Blue Wall Institute, Belleville, IL.
Kraska, P., & Kappeler, V. E. (1988). A theoretical and descriptive study of police on-duty drug use. American Journal of Police, 8(1), 1–36.
Levinthal, C. (2008). Drugs. Society and criminal justice (2nd ed.). Pearson Education, Inc..
Lindsay, V., Taylor, W. B., & Shelley, K. (2008). Alcohol and the police: An empirical examination of a widely-held assumption. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 31(4), 596–609.
Lotfi, K., Jussi, J., Bo, R., & Jayaram-Lindström, N. (2016). Suicide risk associated with experience of violence and impulsivity in alcohol dependent patients. Scientific Reports, 6, 19373. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19373
Lorenzo, A. V. (1989). Mechanisms of drug penetration in the brain. Paper presented to the Department of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School.
Morash, M., Haarr, R., & Kwak, D. H. (2006). Multilevel influences on police stress. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 22(1), 26–43.
Nahid, D., Mehran, F., Tahereh, H., & Jalal, P. (2015). Alcohol-related risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide: a meta-analysis. PLoS One, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0126870
Pendergrass, V. E., & Ostrove, N. M. (1986). Correlates of alcohol use by police personnel. In J. T. Reese & H. A. Goldstein (Eds.), Psychological services for law enforcement (pp. 489–495). Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Reiss, A., Jr. (1971). Police and the public. Yale University Press.
Territo, L., & Vetter, H. J. (1981). Stress and police personnel. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 9(2), 195–207.
Sheehan, C. M., Frochen, S. E., Walsemann, K. M., & Ailshire, J. A. (2018). Are u.s. adults reporting less sleep?: findings from sleep duration trends in the national health interview survey, 2004–2017. Sleep, 42(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsy221
Skolnick, A. (1966). Stability and interrelations of thematic test imagery over 20 years. Child Development, 37(2), 389–389. https://doi.org/10.2307/1126812
Sullivan, E., Harris, R., & Pfefferbaum, A. (2010). Alcohol’s effects on brain and behavior. Alcohol Research and Health, 33(1/2), 127–143. Retrieved from ProQuest Psychology Journals. (Document ID: 2114756611).
Van Maanen, J. (1975). Police socialization: a longitudinal examination of job attitudes in an urban police department. Administrative Science Quarterly, 20(2), 207–228.
Violanti, J. M., & Drylie, J. J. (2008). Copicide: concepts, cases, and controversies of suicide by cop. Charles C Thomas, Pub.
Violanti, J., Marshall, J., & Howe, G. (1985). Stress, coping and alcohol use: the police connection. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 13, 106–110.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Krawczyn, J., Pascarella, J. (2022). Substance Use Disorder. In: Johnson, O., Papazoglou, K., Violanti, J., Pascarella, J. (eds) Practical Considerations for Preventing Police Suicide. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83974-1_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83974-1_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-83973-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-83974-1
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)