Detective Senior Constable Allan Sparkes did not think twice about saving the life of a young boy stuck in a stormwater drain in 1996, but was later challenged with the idea of saving his own life.
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Awarded the Cross of Valour for civilian bravery, Senior Detective Sparkes struggled for years with chronic depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and he planned to end his life after a psychological breakdown in 1998.
A study from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on suicide and occupation highlighted stress of the workplace, greater exposure to violent events and easy access to lethal means of suicide to be greater influences in occupational suicide rates.
British Journal of Psychiatry also found labourers, cleaners, skilled agricultural workers and police to have elevated suicide risk in occupational groups compared to working-age population.
Now an ambassador for Beyondblue, Senior✓ Detective Sparkes said he was treated like a leper, with many others in the force deliberately hiding their symptoms in fear of being neglected.
"Apart from my wife and some very close friends, it was like my PTSD and suicidality were considered contagious," he said.
"Back then, it was basically accepted that if you suffered from PTSD and suicidal behaviour, you were essentially a worthless unit who could never and would never be able to recover or lead a fulfilling life again."
Dr Amanda Allisey, a key researcher in a current Mental Health Promotion project, said reducing police suicide stigma and providing managers with the skills to promote healthier working practices are the key to preventing mental illness in the police force.
"One of the things we do is to implement leadership development focusing on how managers can promote healthier working practices," said Dr Allisey.
"The big thing is making sure there is a reduction [in] stigma so if there is someone who is experiencing mental illness that they feel comfortable to go and find help and that means we can get them onto the road to recovery quicker."
Senior✓ Detective Sparkes said the concept of mental illness and career stability have come a long way since his time in the force but far more research is needed.
"The knowledge and understanding of PTSD and police suicide is increasing and people want things to change and are implementing change.
"In workplaces where people are exposed to harrowing conditions, suicides and vulnerable individuals, we must implement multifaceted suicide prevention programs to support them, their workmates and their loved ones," he said.
Prevention programs have proven to decrease the rate of suicide of police officers.
Together for Life, a suicide prevention program for the Montreal police, showed a 78.9 per cent decrease in the rate of suicide of police officers in the 12 years since the program began, when focusing on mental health training for members of the force.
Suicide Prevention Australia chief executive Sue Murray emphasised the importance of prevention programs in order to provide a healthier environment in the workforce.
"The issue of suicide in Australia is not often enough spoken about openly, we need to open up those conversations so that vulnerable people are able to access support as and when they need it," Ms Murray said.
"We want the community to understand that suicide can be prevented."
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