Tehachapi News

All > News
SWAT Team negotiators receive PTSD training
Topics:
Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 444 times
0 responses 1 comment On June 21, Juanita Buck, a member of the Kern Country Mental Health Mobile Evaluation Team, led a training session for SWAT Team negotiators, informing them about the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Buck believes that such training will continue to become increasingly helpful for first responders.

“As military personnel continue to return from war it becomes increasingly important for first responders such as the SWAT Team negotiators, to know how to identify and deal effectively with those who might suffer from PTSD,” said Buck, a graduate of California State University Bakersfield who has a Masters degree in Marriage and Family counseling.

Buck is also working on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Her interest in PTSD originated during graduate school, after hearing a lecture by her mentor, Larry Ashley, a war veteran. Buck went on to conduct her own Masters thesis on PTSD among firefighters, having always been interested in how potentially traumatic events affect first responders.

During the training, a brief historical context was given on PTSD beginning with WWI, when psychological damage caused by war was referred to as, “shell shock,” and ending with the mood disorder being included in the Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) III in 1980, after the Vietnam War.

Buck lead a discussion of what worked and what did not work in previous situations where law enforcement has dealt with those who may be in psychological or physical crisis due to PTSD.

Characteristics that can help SWAT Team negotiators in identifying those suffering from PTSD were discussed, including; re-experiencing the event through vivid memories, crying uncontrollably, isolating oneself from family and friends and avoiding social situations, relying heavily on drugs or alcohol to get through the day and feelings of fear and a sense of doom about the future. (See the criteria for a medical diagnosis of the disorder in the boxed text)

As Buck explained, many symptoms are a means of coping with overwhelming feelings, and though the coping methods may work for a time, eventually they interfere with the person's ability to function in their environment.   

According to Buck, some important steps that first responders, such as law enforcement, should always take when responding to a crisis are: Assess the situation, address medical issues and secure the area. One of the most important steps in dealing with a person in crisis is for the first responder to make an honest, genuine connection with the person.

“Use your previous experience, knowledge and training but most importantly be confident in yourself, by doing this you ensure confidence from others,” Buck advised the trainees.

Other professional skills Buck emphasized were attentiveness, accurate listening and responding, with the least intrusive actions taken first, ensuring the subject’s safety, as well as the ability to “think outside the box,” in order to solve problems.
Buck said that of these skills, the most important is listening to the individual in crisis, not just being present and nodding your head. Listening includes being empathetic and genuine, using open-ended questions and offering validation to the individual.

“Unfortunately”, explained Buck, “one of the characteristics of the disorder is that it is very hard to treat and repetitive behavior is common, but there is help for those dealing with PTSD.” 

In Kern County, the Crisis Stabilization Unit, also known as Mary Kay Shell  is a facility that offers help for those who voluntarily seek it for themselves and have PTSD symptoms. Kern Medical Center administers psychiatric care to individuals who do not voluntarily comply but who need care.

Buck ended her training by saying that first responders to any crisis situation should also make sure to take care of themselves psychologically and physically, as they too are dealing with potentially traumatic events.

Medical criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The six criteria for an individual who qualifies for suffering from PTSD were specified, as found in the DSM-TR, as follows:
1. Direct or indirect exposure to a profoundly traumatic event with a subsequent reaction to the trauma involving feelings of extreme fear and powerlessness.
2. One or more aversive re-experiencing symptoms that can occur on cognitive, affective, and/ or psychological levels. 
3. Three or more avoidance or numbing symptoms, including avoidance of trauma cues, loss of interest in activities, restricted affect, perceptions of isolation, and a sense of shortened life span. 
4. Two or more arousal symptoms including difficulties with sleep, anger regulation, concentration, hyper-vigilence, and excessive startle response. 
5. Symptoms must be present for more than one month in order for PTSD to be diagnosed. 
6. The final criterion addressed the aversive impact of symptoms on functioning.
Other factors that may contribute to individuals being at high risk of suffering from PTSD include a history of abuse as a child, significant loss such as a close loved one and pre-trauma anxiety and depression. These factors and several others might predispose an individual to PTSD while others who have relatively healthy home lives, psyche and history may be able to experience a traumatic event and after a readjustment period are able to function as well as they did before the event. 

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation

Comment From: NickCharles

This is one of the most a** backwards things I've seen, in a way. Why not try helping the VICTIMS suffering from PTSD from SWAT team attacks? A CATO institute study finished a few years ago ducumented 300 case of killings and maiming by SWAT teams - not to catch violent crimminals -but to serve simple warrants. 50% of those rads were wrong address raids. People have been killed, maimed and houses burned down by these idiots.