Janice McCarthy carries a certain melancholy that few radiate but the spouses and survivors of a police officer’s suicide.

 

McCarthy carried that melancholy this week to the New Haven Police Academy this week. She spoke to cadets and supervisors about stress, post traumatic stress disorder, and suicide, which frequently follows unless the cycle is somehow broken.

Tuesday was McCarthy’s third visit in as many weeks to the police academy on the Sherman Parkway, to tackle a problem that confronts too many cops yet doesn’t often make it into their training curriculum.

“It’s very healing for me to do this,” she said.

McCarthy spoke to 35 supervisors for about 2 hours, and to 40 cadets for an hour and a half. It was part of an effort by Lt. Ray Hassett (pictured above with McCarthy) to prepare budding cops to recognize and deal with signs of post-traumatic stress on the job.

McCarthy, 46 and the mother of three, told the officers and cadets about the traumas that her former husband, Paul McCarthy, endured before shooting himself in the chest at about 7:30 p.m. at the junction of Route 28 and Interstate 95, in Canton,  about 30 miles southwest of Boston.

(Read an in-depth magazine account of her story here.)

McCarthy’s husband had had enough as of the last Friday in July, 2006.

While he was working an overtime shift as a Massachusetts state trooper in 1993, a man driving a stolen bus crashed into his cruiser, crushing his legs and pinning him in the mangled vehicle.

After about 18 months of physical therapy he was well enough to resume active duty. But something was wrong.

He experienced flashbacks of the accident, and had nightmares. He became hyper-vigilant and extremely sensitive to noise. He began stuttering and picking fights at work.  In 1994 he was diagnosed with PTSD.

Trooper McCarthy lost his children’s college money in the stock market in 2005. Soon thereafter, he and Janice divorced.

“It’s important for cops to take care of each other; be aware of symptoms, and communicate with their families,” McCarthy said.

“Stress is inherent in the job. It’s what they do with the stress that really matters. I’m putting a positive spin on counseling,” she said, something that soldiers, police officers, and other men often see as a sign of weakness.

They are afraid of being singled out and considered “crazy,” she said.

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It’s what they do with the stress that really matters. I’m putting a positive spin on counseling,” she said, something that soldiers, police officers, and other men often see as a sign of weakness."

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Recognition of PTSD has increased because such a high percentage of combatants in Iraq and Afghanistan have returned to the U.S. suffering it’s debilitating symptoms.

While the U.S. Department of Defense has methods to assess the numbers of soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen with PTSD, judging how many police officers have PTSD has proven difficult, she said.

The government estimates that up to 6 percent of cops have diagnosable PTSD. In 2008, there were 141 police suicides across the country, which is higher than the national average.

Symptoms of PTSD include difficulty sleeping, anger, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and an exaggerated startle response.

McCarthy does not lecture on neurology or psychology. “What I do is tell my personal story. My life changed overnight,” she said.
Her husband’s increasing troublesome behavior and suicide, followed by Janice’s successful struggle to obtain an accidental death pension and have Paul’s death declared “in the line of duty,” felt like being on a roller-coaster, she said.

Massachusetts stopped short of setting a precedent that PTSD and suicide be considered a consequence of police service, she said.

Lt. Hassett, an instructor for a PTSD class at the training academy, said the stress of police work, its dangers, the grisly scenes that cops repeatedly witness, do not cause PTSD in all officers.

“It depends. It can be an accumulation of stresses. We’re all individuals. But what we’re exposed to on a daily basis is very different from the average person,” he said.

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Hassett, who is also district manager for the tough Dwight/ Kensington neighborhood, said he is concerned about officer wellness. “Events can have term consequences if they’re not addressed. I encourage a yearly check,” he said. But there are no obligations.

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Hassett, who is also district manager for the tough Dwight/ Kensington neighborhood, said he is concerned about officer wellness.

“Events can have term consequences if they’re not addressed. I encourage a yearly check,” he said. But there are no obligations.

“This is a conversation,” Hassett said about the PTSD program at the academy.

“They were all very receptive,” McCarthy said of the cadets she encountered Tuesday. “At lunch they were telling me stories. It’s extremely positive. We’re trying to make a change. I hope that I’m making a difference,”

Comments

posted by: streever on March 18, 2010  1:34pm

Great work Lt and Ms McCarthy! Police have a really tough job. They see and deal with things that can be absolutely horrifying… are in danger at any given point while they work… and see in many cases the worst of society.

It’s really important to give them a supportive environment and encourage them to seek help when they need it. Anyone dealing with a traumatic event or situation can benefit from having it acknowledged by others and speaking about it.

posted by: SW on March 18, 2010  2:35pm

Excellent initiative here that is a win/win/win…a complete reversal from some backwards unofficial “policies” (that counseling is for wussies) that we’ve heard coming from certain within NHPD.  Good for cops, their families, and the general public.

posted by: Andy O'Hara on March 19, 2010  4:31pm

One can only admire the courage of Janice McCarthy for carrying this message to law enforcement officers.  Quite a lady. 

We congratulate Lt. Hassett, also, for his forward-thinking approach and seeing the importance of proactive measures to prevent the impacts of stress, such as yearly checks.  News like this leaves us hopeful that more and more departments will progress into “new ways’ of saving lives within their ranks.

posted by: Leona and Walt Narr on March 19, 2010  6:11pm

Ms Janice MeCarthy,
Standing in front of veteran supervisors and cadets, to tell your story, about the loss of your husband, had to take you back to day 1, to when it happened. The shock, and unimaginable pain that you felt. You are making a difference by letting them hear your words, and seeing that it “can happen to them”. Our son, after 14 years on the job, age 42, took his own life.  Badge of Life has given us hope that through BOL, other families may not have to go through what we are enduring. They truly did die in the Line of Duty.