Solving the problem of police brutality against blacks may not be an easy one, but I think the answer is much closer than would imagine. Stress can affect one’s mental state at any given situation or time. Take for example; a police officer suffered from being beat up as a kid, but out of embarrassment he never disclosed that to the department. Such incidents can have a huge impact on the human brain as a child the brain is tender and raw. The memory of this event must have troubled him, also being a cause of irrational behavior in most of the people. The officer is likely have carried this burden for years and this could trigger an unwarranted incidence. Perseverance of such activity lays the foundation of social issues topics. A cop is a human with expert training and a deft ability to make spontaneous judgements but not to forget, bleak disturbing mental state of an officer can cost a life. Statistics show that in 2020, two hundred twenty-six blacks lost their life at the hands of the police. The same year, four hundred thirty-two whites lost their life at the hands of the police.
One could recklessly assume that more whites have been killed by the police, but when we look at the population totals, there is a big disparate in the numbers.
It is extremely difficult to wrap your mind around what is really going on in our communities around the world. The fear that black kids in the United States endure today is a tragedy. Police violence has an adverse effect on Black population’s mental health as well, “Atheendar S. Venkataramani “an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy, did a research study which was published in The Launet in 2018 related to impact of police brutality on Black adults. (Source. Penn Today) Not only African Americans suffer direct anxiety but indirect remorse too from these incidents of police killings and add to racial discrimination.
Understanding the definition of PTSD is a start. Most think of PTSD as a term used for mental ill soldiers, but the term goes much deeper. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder not only can affect police officers, but it can also affect the ordinary person. This mental disease can affect the average day to day person. It can also be found among children.
The chart above shows what PTSD diagnosis. Imagine a police officer who suffers from something as simple as Unwanted Memories that could stem back from their adolescent. He or she could be suffering from PTSD which could easily trigger erratic behavior on the job. Cops are expected to take pivotal decisions on the spot and intensively analyze facts of the event that happen in a fraction of minutes. Immense pressure of critical situations wherein decision making is crucial, may initiate furious actions out of intrusive thoughts. According to psychologists, Janet and David Shucard, decision making denotes to an “adaptive feature of brain executive mental function that allows one to attend selectively and respond appropriately to a varied and often rapidly changing environment while monitoring conflicting response options and inhibiting inappropriate responses.”(Source. “Electrophysiological and Neuroimaging Studies of Cognitive Control: Introduction to Special Issue,” International Journal of Psychophysiology 87 (2013).
. How about a youth suffering from Emotional Distress, something simple as only having one parent in the household? The young person could possibly lose his or her life in a matter of seconds.
The answer may not be as complex as made out to be. This also may explain the behavior in our school’s system amongst kids. The question mark arises on the education system and social issues related to education.
Physiologists suggest that distractions in fast decision making in a person who has PTSD symptoms may result in a brain system due to incapability to maintain attention, inability to scan out interfering evidence. Therefore, police officers should undergo mental health evaluation no less than every three months to ensure they are performing at the absolute best of their ability.
Please share your thoughts!
nice one
The entire policing structure should be overhauled. This country loves putting people in cages. Yet they preach human rights. The cotton is high in A’meriKKKa!