The importance of prevention in maintaining the mental health of military police officers

Abstract

Security professionals in the military are subject to stress on a daily basis, either because of the pressure they are under in their job or because of the situations they deal with on a daily basis. The constant risk of death, the fear felt by the family, the lack of recognition from the population, the demands, the military hierarchy, among other factors, are responsible for causing significant problems in the mental health of police officers, such as: depression, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, episodes of aggression, the development of addictions to alcohol and other drugs, as well as problems with physical health and social/family life. Thus, there is an urgent need to implement public policies that provide ongoing psychological and psychiatric care to professionals in the corps, in order to mitigate the damage to their mental health. A review of the specialized literature sought to highlight the need for actions to prevent and maintain the mental health of military police officers. To this end, the general objective was to verify the importance of policies focused on mental health within the military corps. The specific objectives are twofold: a) to discuss the routine of professionals in the corps and the impacts on mental health; c) to highlight the need for routine programs focused on mental health, with constant psychological support and not just in specific situations. During the course of the review, it was possible to observe that there are few ongoing mental health care programs for military police officers and to see the need to implement such actions nationwide.