Study: First Responders More Likely to Die by Suicide Than In Line of Duty

BOSTON—A white paper released June 13, 2022, by the Ruderman Family Foundation revealed that while suicides for the general population have declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been moderate to no decrease in suicides for all types of first responders.

The Ruderman White Paper Update on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders follows up on the Foundation’s 2018 report, which had revealed that policemen and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty—a trend that still holds true today. Yet while the new stress and isolation brought into first responders’ lives by the pandemic has resulted in increased mental health programming and resources, first responder suicides had not meaningfully decreased as of 2020 (official 2021 data is still being updated).

According to the new white paper, 116 police officers committed suicide in the U.S. in 2020, compared with 140 in 2017. While the number is lower, cases can take time to uncover, and it can take months to verify these deaths by a medical examiner or coroner—as was the case with the 2017 data.

Suicide remains more common than death in the line of duty, but a less frequent cause of death than COVID-19. In 2020, 61.7% of all police officer deaths were due to the coronavirus; there were 182 COVID-19 fatalities, 116 confirmed suicides, and 113 deaths in the line of duty. 

Meanwhile, the number of reported firefighter and EMS suicides stood at 127 in 2020, slightly higher than the 126 confirmed cases in 2017. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been at least 181 firefighters and 78 emergency medical care providers who have died of COVID-19-related complications. The most prevalent method of suicide for both male and female firefighters and EMS personnel was firearms.

“Our research underscores the ongoing mental health crisis facing first responders, which has become a perfect storm that combines the existing dangers of their work and the toll exerted by the pandemic,” said Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation. “Despite their best intentions, programs aimed at promoting awareness of first responder mental health and at preventing suicide have not borne sufficient fruit so far. Exacerbating this situation, the shame and stigma often associated with the suicide of first responders lead to secrecy and silence surrounding the event, preventing appropriate processing of suicides by colleagues of the deceased. It is incumbent upon us to redouble our efforts to end the silence and eradicate the stigma surrounding the mental health of first responders.”

The whitepaper goes on to analyze why an increase in first responder mental health and suicide prevention programs have not been effective and makes suggestions for bucking this trend. Currently, no government organization requires mandated reporting of such deaths or attempts, which would prove critical in understanding the multidimensional phenomenon of suicide and to better understand trends, patterns, and relationships in the data, according to a foundation release.

The study suggests a myriad of additional measures such as monitoring the mental health of retired first responders and assessing the mental health of newly hired personnel. This may include the use of risk assessment and preventive procedures to help reduce or eliminate the negative effects of exposure to traumatic incidents. This coupled with techniques such as brain mapping and balancing systems "could make a difference in the mental health of first responders if government offices and law enforcement agencies invest in them and priorities taking these new steps to protect them," the authors of the study assert.

This white paper study was co-authored by Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim, PhD and Caitlyn Folino, MBA of the Ruderman Family Foundation; Robert Douglas, DCC, founder and CEO, National Police Suicide Foundation; Jeff Dill, MA, NBCC, founder and CEO, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance; and Olivia Johnson, DM, founder, Blue Wall Institute.

To view The Ruderman White Paper Update on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders, visit https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/the-ruderman-white-paper-update-on-mental-health-and-suicide-of-first-responders/