Socio-clinical analysis of the work context and its relationship with the mental illness of military police officers in the Federal District

Abstract

Mental and behavioral disorders are the third leading cause of incapacity in police work. This research analyzes, through Clinical Sociology and Critical Discourse Analysis, the context of the work of the Military Police of the Federal District and its relationship with the mental illness of police officers. This was an ethnographic study. Participant observation notes and interviews contributed to data collection and corpus formation. The analysis explored the representational meaning of the discourses using the following categories: transitivity, representation of social actors, and lexical selection. The results point to the organization of work, interpersonal conflicts, weakening social bonds, and abuse of power as the main triggers of mental illness. Paying attention to the mental health care of police officers must be a continuous action of the corporation and part of the Federal District’s agenda, promoting initiatives to protect professionals and, consequently, the safety of society.