What is Stress? Stress is not a new phenomenon; it has been experienced throughout history. Stress is a biological response to some stimulus. Fear, panic, anger, tragedy, and even something as simple as being competitive can cause it. Stress can result in the competitiveness needed to succeed in business, achieve an education, foster social relationships, and win at sports. Is stress bad or good? It is both. The proper level of stress can benefit people in daily living. Well, what is bad stress and what is good stress? Good stress is stress that you can manage. The stress of competing in athletic contests often works in your favor by stimulating performance. In police officers, stress can make the difference between

We are becoming all too familiar with police suicide especially with the attention it gets from the media. In New York City, twice as many police officers die by their own hand as do in the line of duty (Finn)! The suggested reason, higher stress levels. What is going on? Every study done points to the higher levels of stress police officers face, but what form does that stress take? With suicide there seem to be four factors: 1. Divorce 2. Alcohol - not alcoholism, that was one of the early theories, but in actuality it was the use of alcohol right before the act to "get up the nerve" 3. Depression 4. A failure to get help. (Most officers who commit suicide have no history of having sought counseling). All four factors are symptoms that can stem from an officer's stress levels (Brown). An Officer who get in serious trouble on the job, suspended or facing termination is 7 times more likely to commit suicide.

Other more practical options include exercise, sufficient rest, and proper diet. Staying psychologically fit means committing to take care of yourself. It takes work. The greater the stress, the greater the need to apply maximum thrust into this resistance! For the average person, possibly the hardest job of staying healthy is to admit that he/she has a problem. The second hardest feat is the willingness to get help.

Everyone experiences stress. As any stress counselor would explain, a certain degree of stress is essential to a healthy, productive life. However, when stress impairs an individual's ability to function properly, the sources of that stress must be eliminated or reduced. The bottom line is that police officers cannot afford to let stress get out of hand. Their lives, the lives of other officers and citizens depend on the ability to effectively respond under duress.

The medical community has attributed stress to such biological responses as heart malfunctions, blood pressure variations, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, pain, depression, muscular discomfort, strokes and a host of nervous system related problems (Adams 401). For the police officer, biological consequences can represent more long-term concerns, but the short-term results are the most profound. Stress of the magnitude that affects an officer’s reaction time (increase or decrease) can seriously inhibit their ability to perform a vital action. An unre

Some topics in this essay:
Finn MA, Stress Stress, Science Section, Buffalo York, York City, Brown Police, , Brown Officer, Buffalo NY, police officers, Constant Suicide, stress stress, stress police, manage stress, police officer, stress biological, stress police officers, effects stress police, effects stress, commit suicide, times commit suicide, officer’s experience, behavioral science section, managing stress, stress biological responses,