SOMETHING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49
hard it will be to accept the reality of such a beloved person being
gone, Papero insists that the PBA should not let Santiago’s death
fade out of the picture without an important lesson being learned.
“Don’t let his death go to waste,” Papero stresses. “If you’re feel-
ing something, say something. If you know someone else is feeling
something, say something. Make sure we learn from these mis-
takes. Don’t allow his death to be for nothing.”
Help is here
Helpers don’t like to be helped. Whether it’s the fear of looking
weak, the superman and superwoman image they refuse to tar-
nish, or the feeling of shame that leads to a downward spiral, there
are plenty of explanations for what keeps officers from taking the
first step to getting better. The good news, according to PBA Direc-
tor of Clinical Services Dr. Gene Stefanelli, is that this perception
might be changing.
The calls to the PBA’s peer support resources, Cop2Cop and Ste-
fanelli and Bizzarro are coming, and members no longer seem to
be ashamed of being seen talking to the “shrink” at PBA conven-
tions and events. Still, Dr. Stef knows that there are not enough of-
ficers admitting that they have problems or speaking up when they
know someone at work is struggling with bad thoughts or destruc-
tive habits due to drinking, drugs, gambling, marital problems, fi-
nancial hardship and other issues that build up stress and lead to
addiction or worse.
“They need to take that personal image away and do a little in-
trospective self-inventory of what’s been going on in their lives,”
Dr. Stef advises.
Dr. Julie Tropeano, a board-certified psychiatric nurse practi-
tioner specializing in treating first responders, knows that one of
the barriers to asking for help is the fear officers have that if they
seek treatment and go on medications, they will risk being eval-
uated as unfit for duty. This resistance to taking the proper med-
ication to treat depression, anxiety and PTSD can lead officers to
self-medicate.
“There’s a misconception that the medication will control your
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JANUARY 2019
mind, and that’s not the case at all,” Dr. Tropeano stresses. “Un-
treated psychological conditions are what control your mind. The
medication helps restore balance to you. Ironically, they are more
likely to be found unfit for untreated depression, anxiety and PTSD
than if they are taking the right medications.”
At Cop2Cop, which provides a 24-hour hotline staffed by cop
clinicians and specially trained mental health professionals, bal-
ance has become the emphasis of its peer counseling and resilien-
cy training initiatives. Cherie Castellano, a licensed professional
counselor, board-certified expert in addressing traumatic stress
and Cop2Cop program director believes that preventive care for
first responders for physical and mental health can keep officers’
wellbeing in check before crisis strikes.
“I think there are some (officers) who others view as superhe-
roes because they’re always so good and always so helpful to every-
one around them,” Castellano observes. “We as a law enforcement
community need to be able to look for those people who are always
running around for everybody else and sit down across from that
person and say, ‘I want to talk about you.’”
If you feel something, say something
Papero sent the message loud and clear at the January state
meeting: It doesn’t matter who you talk to when you have a prob-
lem, just talk.
“You don’t have to talk to anybody in particular,” Papero shared.
“Just know there’s people around and there are options.”
NJ State PBA Executive Vice President Marc Kovar has seen the
impact of officers checking in with one another firsthand after
years of guiding officers to get the help that has led to saved mar-
riages, saved jobs and saved lives. He noted how after Papero’s im-
passioned plea at the state meeting that two members reached out
to Peer Liaison Committee Chair Mauro Farallo about getting help.
“Continually reach out to your brothers and sisters to make sure
everything is all right,” Kovar adds. “Always reach out with that sim-
ple ‘how are you doing?’ If two members from the meeting reached
out to get help, those are two potential lives that Pat (Papero) saved.
Who knows how many more we could save if we keep talking?”