01/18/2026
Poor Police Officer Mental Health: Hiding in Plain View - By Captain Adam A. Meyers, CPS
Police officers are trained to observe danger, read behavior, and protect others, yet some of the most serious threats to officer safety and wellbeing remain hidden in plain sight.
Poor mental health among law enforcement professionals often goes unnoticed, ignored, or deliberately concealed, not because the signs are absent, but because the culture of policing has long rewarded silence, toughness, and self-reliance.
Mental health struggles do not always look like a crisis call or a dramatic breakdown. More often, they appear subtly, gradually, and publicly, woven into daily behavior at work, at home, and in the community.
When Distress Masquerades as “Normal”
In policing, stress, fatigue, and emotional numbing are often normalized. Long shifts, exposure to trauma, administrative pressure, and critical incidents accumulate over time. Officers may continue to perform their duties while quietly unraveling inside.
Common warning signs of declining mental health can include:
Chronic lack of sleep: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, frequent nightmares, excessive fatigue, or reliance on caffeine, alcohol, or medications to function.
Poor self-care: Neglecting physical health, appearance, hygiene, nutrition, or fitness, especially when these changes are sudden or extreme.
Emotional withdrawal: Increased isolation from coworkers, friends, and family; loss of interest in activities once enjoyed; emotional numbness or detachment.
Irritability and mood changes: Short temper, increased anger, cynicism, or emotional volatility that feels out of character.
These signs are often dismissed as “just part of the job,” allowing deeper issues to go unaddressed.
Risky and Self-Destructive Coping
When healthy coping strategies feel unavailable or unsafe to pursue, some officers turn to harmful alternatives. These behaviors may temporarily mask pain but often worsen mental health over time.
Warning signs can include:
Abusing alcohol: Drinking to sleep, to numb emotions, or to cope with stress; increased frequency or quantity of alcohol use; drinking alone or in secrecy.
Misusing prescription medications:
Overuse of painkillers, sleep aids, or anti-anxiety medications beyond prescribed limits.
Using illegal drugs: As a form of escape, emotional relief, or sleep aid, often accompanied by secrecy and risk-taking.
Lying and concealment: Minimizing symptoms, hiding substance use, falsifying explanations for behavior changes, or avoiding accountability to protect one’s career.
These behaviors often coexist with shame, fear of judgment, and fear of professional consequences, powerful forces that keep officers from seeking help.
Dangerous Behavior On and Off Duty
Poor mental health can also manifest in self-destructive or dangerous behavior that affects officer safety, public safety, and personal relationships.
Examples include:
Risk-taking on duty: Unnecessary confrontations, poor decision-making, diminished situational awareness, or disregard for personal safety.
Aggression or recklessness off duty:
Driving dangerously, engaging in fights, impulsive decisions, or escalating conflicts.
Signs of self-harm: Unexplained injuries, wearing long sleeves to conceal marks, expressing hopelessness, or making comments about being a burden or wanting escape.
These behaviors are not moral failing. They are warning signals of a nervous system under prolonged stress and trauma.
Why does it stay hidden? Police officers are often highly skilled at hiding distress. The same traits that make effective officers; control, composure, and vigilance, can also make suffering invisible. Add concerns about fitness for duty, loss of credibility, or being perceived as weak, and many officers choose silence over support.
Unfortunately, untreated mental health struggles do not resolve on their own. They tend to escalate.
Seeing the Signs, Changing the Outcome
Recognizing poor mental health “hiding in plain view” is a responsibility shared by individuals, peers, supervisors, families, and agencies. Early recognition and compassionate intervention save careers and lives.
Creating a culture where seeking help is viewed as strength, not failure, is essential. Access to confidential support, peer programs, trauma-informed leadership, and mental health education must be normalized within policing.
Recovery is possible. Officers can heal, return to healthy functioning, and continue meaningful service, but only if the signs are seen, acknowledged, and addressed.
The most dangerous mental health crisis in policing is not the one everyone sees, it’s the one no one wants to name.
Photo (Not AI) of Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma Founder and Wisconsin Police Captain Adam Meyers, CPS
www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org
