It is a form of prejudice that spreads: fear and misinformation; labels individuals; and perpetuates stereotypes. It is oppressive and alienating and prevents many from seeking help (Stigma, n.d.). The stigma that surrounds mental illness in society is even more profound within the police culture. Police officers are perceived to be invincible, brave, strong, unaffected and both physically and mentally fit. This perception leads to mistrust in talking about mental health issues; in fear that it will impact one's career; transfers to specialty units; promotions; and their peers believing that they are weak. .
This stigma seeped in the police culture is not only at the constable level. Most senior police administrators have grown up within the ranks of their organizations and are products of their environments; as such, they are engrained with the same mind-set that perpetuates some of this culture. In order to change this oppressive culture, we need courageous senior managers to acknowledge and expose the problem, establish new policies to remedy them, and promote a culture that embraces holistic wellness (Malmin, 2012). One way of doing this is to compel officers to attend annual counseling for a psychological wellness check. Some police services already have policies in place where officers assigned to "high risk" units are given a psychological test annually. It should be noted that it is not always the traumatic police event or occupational stress that causes a crisis for an officer. It can also be a personal, financial, family or health issue that precipitates the need for help.
Substances abuse among police officers is often underreported because of the nature of their job. Police officers, commonly described as heroes, sacrifice so much for our society while performing their jobs. They are repeatedly exposed to trauma, suicide, domestic violence, and mental health illnesses.