Political elements of PTSD within former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Police Officers and its implications for effective psychological treatment

This paper will explore some of the limitations of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Framework in accounting for the myriad of psychological symptoms encountered by former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) within the Northern Ireland Province. Several case studies of ex RUC police will be used to highlight not only the legacy of multiple trauma experiences, but also multiple re-traumatisation by both the RUC as an organisation and its individual membership. Within the context of the war in Northern Ireland, Catholic RUC officers in particular experienced discrimination that often maximised their exposure to additional traumas. This indicates a potential political dimension to our conventional understanding of PTSD, which therefore has subsequent psychological treatment implications. The Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust (PRRT) in Belfast offers a psychological therapy services for retired, retiring and/ or medically discharged police officers. Predominant treatment involves a combination of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and that of Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR). However, because of the ongoing security issues in Northern Ireland, particularly for this client group, there are several limitations within treatment approaches particularly regarding the utilisation of exposure in vivo. In addition this client group is often ostracised by both communities further reinforcing isolationism and social exclusion.

Conference

English

Derek P. Farrell

Farrell, D. P. (2004, September). Political elements of PTSD within former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Police Officers and its implications for effective psychological treatment. Presentation at the 34th annual Conference of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology(UMIST), Manchester, England