Background: Police suicides are an important problem, and many police forces have high rates. Montreal police suicide rates were slightly higher than other Quebec police rates in the 11 years before the program began (30.5/100,000 per year vs. 26.0/100,000). Aims: To evaluate Together for Life, a suicide prevention program for the Montreal police. Methods: All 4,178 members of the Montreal police participated. The program involved training for all officers, supervisors, and union representatives as well as establishing a volunteer helpline and a publicity campaign. Outcome measures included suicide rates, pre-post assessments of learning, focus groups, interviews, and follow-up of supervisors. Results: In the 12 years since the program began the suicide rate decreased by 79% (6.4/100,000), while other Quebec police rates had a nonsignificant (11%) increase (29.0/100,000). Also, knowledge increased, supervisors engaged in effective interventions, and the activities were highly appreciated. Limitations: Possibly some unidentified factors unrelated to the program could have influenced the observed changes. Conclusions: The decrease in suicides appears to be related to this program since suicide rates for comparable populations did not decrease and there were no major changes in functioning, training, or recruitment to explain the differences. Comprehensive suicide prevention programs tailored to the work environment may significantly impact suicide rates.

This retrospective study examined risk and protective factors for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of 132 Canadian police officers. Structured interviews were conducted in order to assess the most distressing work-related traumatic events and determine diagnoses of full or partial PTSD. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires assessing several potential predictors. The results suggested that 7.6% of the participants developed full PTSD, whereas 6.8% had partial PTSD following an incident at work. A multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the most potent risk factor for the development of full or partial PTSD was peritraumatic dissociation. Social support from colleagues during the event emerged as a significant protective factor. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

It is recommended that disaster services should provide for long-term psychological effects, particularly for those survivors who are injured, who experience risk of death, feeling trapped or who witness death.

Two hundred subjects of European descent completed a questionnaire about alcohol use and reactions to alcohol. Eleven subjects (5.5%) reported that they always experienced unpleasant reactions after small amounts of alcohol, and these subjects reported significantly lower levels for quantity and frequency of habitual alcohol use, and fewer drinks in the preceding 7 days, than the other subjects. Reactions to alcohol, either genetic or acquired, can therefore be significant in determining alcohol use in non-Asian groups.