RCMP members far more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviour

Members of the RCMP have a far higher tendency to plan to end their life compared to the general public, according to a recent report.

Overall, 15.9 per cent of the police officers have planned to commit suicide throughout their lifetime, and 4.6 per cent planned to do it last year, found the report from National Police Federation (NPF) based on a study by a team of researchers at the University of Regina.

In addition, 34.1 per cent have contemplated killing themselves throughout their life while 11.4 per cent have done so in the past year.

All these numbers are higher when compared to 2018 data among public safety personnel (PSP) and the general public data for 2023, according to the report. 

“The results of frequent exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events, unique and challenging stressors, and inadequate mental health supports are a high prevalence of mental health disorders and suicidal behaviour,” says the report.

What mental health issues do police officers face?

RCMP officers’ mental health problems appear to be worsening, according to the NPF and the University of Regina’s survey of 1,348 actively serving members of the RCMP between June 2022 to February 2023.

This is true for different mental health disorders:

A previous report from the Police Association of Ontario (PAO) noted that police officers across Ontario are burning out.

Despite these numbers, members of the RCMP actually start off their career in better mental health condition compared to the Canadian population, according to the report titled Behind the Badge: Revealing Escalating Mental Health Injuries Among RCMP Officers.

In fact, just 6.4 per cent of cadets participating in the study screened positively for any current (last 12 months) mental disorders, compared to 10.1 per cent for the general population.

Also, 12.4 per cent of cadets screened positively for past mental disorders (a previous lifetime diagnosis) compared to 33.1% of the public.

However, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in the NPF are exposed to13 different psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs), an increase from the 2018 RCMP sample (around 11), according to the report.

Exposure to these result in police force members testing positive for the following mental health conditions:

The majority (62 per cent) of employees don’t think their employers are doing enough to help manage workplace stress, according to a previous report from Robert Walters. In comparison, only 14 per cent think the company’s efforts are enough.

Recommendations to improve RCMP mental health

The NPF aims to change the framework of how the RCMP deals with Member mental health. It makes several recommendations  in the report that include:

• fully implementing an employee wellbeing strategy that includes early identification and preventative measures
• addressing financial and logistical barriers to the full implementation of the RCMP Periodic Psychological Health Screenings (PHS) program. 
• prioritizing and expanding the RCMP Longitudinal Study of Operation Stress and implement its findings on treatment and prevention of injuries caused by traumatic events.
• making available external programs for trauma support across all divisions
• implementing mandatory Member Wellness Psychological training.