If MS leads the suicide rate, the “superhero” culture keeps the police from helping – Cidades

2023-07-21 18:48:00

“They end up looking at the police as if he is not suffering”, says president of the association

“The figure of the military policeman is almost like a machine, a ‘superhero'”, says Cláudio Benites. (Photo: Henrique Kawaminami)

The hard statistic is in the Brazilian Yearbook of Public Security, Mato Grosso do Sul has the highest national rate of suicides among police officers, but part of the explanation lies in the difficulty these professionals have in overcoming the “superhero” culture and seeking help in the face of depression.

Incited to be strong since training, able to withstand rain, cold, heat or any other adversity, the police officer feels afraid to show vulnerability, even fearing the judgment of his colleagues, of being seen as a weak member of the corporation.

The president of Aspra-MS (Association of Military Police Squares and Military Firefighters of Mato Grosso do Sul), Cláudio Benites da Silva, says that there are two psychologists for assistance, but there is not much demand. Aspra has 400 associates.

“It is accepted, but there is not so much demand. We believe it is because of a certain internal culture that the military police is something more than a citizen. The figure of the military policeman is almost like a machine, a ‘superhero’. They end up looking at the military police as if he didn’t suffer from the same problems as an ordinary citizen. This ends up influencing. Sometimes, the military fails to seek psychological, psychiatric, religious or any type of assistance with a certain fear of being labeled as a weak member of the institution”, says Benites.

According to the president of the association, Aspra, in addition to its own psychological care service and events for “decompression moments”, maintains a dialogue with the PM (Military Police) command to verify working conditions, career progression and aspects of functional life that can influence the psychological well-being of the military.

“There is even a saying that the military is superior to time. That is, the person who faces cold, rain, heat, all possible adverse conditions to carry out his work in society. This culture is created since the training course. We are soldiers, we perform an extremely stressful job, we need to have much better self-control than the civilian public, that is a fact. But this culture ends up causing the military, when faced with a problem, to withdraw. He keeps it to himself in such a way that he can only express it in the worst moments, when cases of depression and suicide break out”, highlights the president of Aspra.

Currently, candidates undergo psychological analysis to enter the career and when involved in a police confrontation. In the first case, the professional may come from another area, without experience in public security, in addition to being prepared by specific courses that provide guidance on how to obtain approval.

Cláudio Benites is president of the Association of Military Police and Firefighters (Photo: Henrique Kawaminami)

After he enters the career, that psychological profile that was approved sometimes proves to be completely different in the day-to-day of police activity. After admission, this monitoring no longer exists, there is no obligation. In the training process, you are trained to be that strong military police officer, who overcomes adversity and ends up creating this culture of resistance. It keeps accumulating, accumulating and this weakness is only released, many times, in that crisis process. Either he commits suicide, or he kills someone or he explodes within the family”, says Benites.

Since 2010, the PM command has regulations that determine that military police officers involved in a major incident, such as a police confrontation, must undergo a psychological evaluation before returning to work. The association’s suggestion is that you have more psychological assessments after entering the career.

“With psychologists who could accompany the military police in their routine. Develop preventive actions and not reactive ones. Since the police officer is already depressed, has already tried to commit suicide, you are acting on the result of that action, you are reacting to that problem”, says the president of the association.

Mato Grosso do Sul had the highest suicide rate among military and civilian police in Brazil in 2022, according to a survey released on Thursday (20th) by the Brazilian Public Security Forum. In 2021, the State remained tied with Pernambuco, Sergipe and Rio Grande do Sul. In the year 2021, there were three cases. In 2022, four suicides.

The report requested information from the Military Police about psychological support for professionals, but did not receive a response until the publication of the article.

mental health disorders – With statistical data from 2011 to July 2016, the academic research “Reflections on the mental health of the military police” shows that the professional’s leave time ranges from 54 days (in 2011) to 72 days (2016) for treatment. The predominant reasons are depression, anxiety and severe stress.

Help – In Mato Grosso do Sul, GAV (Grupo Amor Vida) provides emotional support in suicide prevention. Call whenever you need. The phone number is 0800-750-5554 (toll free).

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(Article edited at 13:32 to correct information).