Police personnel in India today are facing various problems, such as administrative, political and social, due to their work culture. These problems are causing severe stress among police personnel. Their mental health is affected by stressful situations, which contribute to feelings of suicidal tendencies and self-harm among them. Consequently, many police personnel across the country are dying by suicide today. The present study aims to understand the nature and causes of suicide among police personnel in India using stress theory. The author has applied secondary data obtained from news content to examine police suicide using content analysis. The author has pointed out in the present study that the nature of suicide found in police personnel is more due to problems arising from their occupation. It has been found in the study that most policemen have died by suicide due to depression and frustration.
CostaT.PassosF.QueirósC. (2019). Suicides of male Portuguese police officers – 10 years of national data. Crisis, 40(5), 360–364. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000570
2.
CummingsJ. P. (1996). Police stress and the suicide link. Police Chief, 63(10), 85–96.
GaurJ. R.KathaneP.SinghA. (2021). Analysis of causes of suicides among police personnel of Haryana & Himachal Pradesh, India. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 8(5), 679–684.
7.
HermanM. F. (1975). Police suicides revisited. Suicide, 5, 5–20.
8.
JoinerT. E.Jr.Van OrdenK. A.WitteT. K.RuddM. D. (2009). The interpersonal theory of suicide: Guidance for working with suicidal clients. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11869-000
9.
KaurG.TeeG. H.AriaratnamS.KrishnapillaiA.S.ChinaK. (2013). Depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among diabetics in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study in an urban primary care setting. BMC Family Practice, 14(69), 1-13. doi: 10.1186/1471-2296-14-69, 69(2), 1–10.
10.
KrayerA. K. S. S.RobinsonC. (2023). Pathways to suicide among police in Rajasthan: Perceptions and experiences of police personnel. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031812
11.
MamatM. N.MananN. A. A.NawiM. N. M.HamzahN. A.NawiM. N. M. (2022). Occupational stress and general well-being among police. Journal of Energy and Safety Technology, 5(1), 31–38. https://doi.org/10.11113/jest.v5n1.104
12.
MaynardP.MaynardN.MccubbinH. I.ShaoD. (1980). Family life and the police profession: Coping patterns wives employ in managing job stress and the family environment. Family Relations, 29(4), 495–501. https://doi.org/10.2307/584464
13.
McAwardA. (2022). Law enforcement officer suicides: Risk factors and limitations on data analysis. Tactical and Law Enforcement Medicine Newsroom.
14.
McCaffertyF. L.McCaffertyE.McCaffertyM. A. (1992). Stress and suicide in police officers: Paradigm of occupational stress. Southern Medical Journal, 85(3), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007611-199203000-00003
15.
MooreM. D. (2019). Social disorganisation theory and suicide. International Social Science Journal.
16.
MowrerE. R. (1941). Methodological problems in social disorganization. American Sociological Review, 6(6), 839–852.
National Crime Record Bureau (N.C.R.B.). (2020). Accidental deaths and suicides in India. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
19.
PandeyR. (1985). The aetiology of suicide in India today. The Indian Journal of Social Work, 45(4), 429–439.
20.
PatelA. B. (2023). Understanding the Suicide Risk in Indian Society: An Anomic Approach. Illness, Crisis & Loss, 32(4), 6.3–620. https://doi.org/10.1177/10541373231174948
RoyP. (2019). Are police officers in grip of mental illness: Diagnostics and preventive interventions. Indian Police Journal, 66(3), 31–44.
23.
SahooB. P.PatelA. B. (2021). Social stigma in time of covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from India. International Journal of Sociology & Social Policy, 41(11/12), 1170–1182. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijssp-01-2021-0012
SelyeH. (1956). The stress of life. McGraw-Hill Book Company.
26.
SharmaP. (2019). Occupational stress and mental health. Indian Police Journal, 66(3), 15–18.
27.
SingoC.ShilubaneH. N. (2022). How do police officers cope with stress? A qualitative study. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37(4), 984–992. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09556-0
TanS. Y.YipA. (2018). Hans Selye (1907–1982): Founder of the stress theory. Singapore Medical Journal, 59(4), 170–171. https://doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2018043
ViolantiJ. M.FekedulegnD.CharlesL. E.AndrewM. E.HartleyT. A.MnatsakanovaA.BurchfielC. M. (2009). Suicide in police work: Exploring potential contributing influences. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 34(1-2), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-008-9049-8
38.
VivekS.VargheseR. G.NeethumolK. S.SameenaS. S.RejuR. S.JamesP.RasheedR.ShereenaV. H.VijaysankarS. (2019). Occupational stress among female police officers in an urban setting in South Kerala. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 6(1), 325–329. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20185281
39.
ZukauskasG.RuksenasO.BurbaB.GrigaliunieneV.MitchellJ. T. (2009). A study of stress affecting police officers in Lithuania. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 11(4), 205–214.
