In News
- The government needs to ensure the mental well-being of uniformed personnel.
Causes for Mental Health Issues in the Uniformed Forces
- Strict Hierarchy:
- Uniformed forces are tightly structured with a command-and-control hierarchy system. The hierarchy is rarely breached. The system ensures discipline, clarity of roles and accountability.
- However, it tends to become inhuman, especially to those who cannot communicate their personal issues in an appropriate forum.
- Less Recognition & More Persecution:
- The constabulary accounts for around 85 per cent of state police and CAPFs. These personnel perform their duties as directed by their seniors.
- They mostly remain in the background of the organisation with less recognition for their achievements and more frequent persecution for failure.
- Overlooking the Stress:
- The stress affecting the mental well-being of uniformed personnel is downplayed and overlooked.
- Many personnel had shown signs of mental stress but these signs were not given enough attention.
- Stigma Towards Mental Stress:
- Mental stress is a less-understood medical condition in India.
- Those who express the problem are termed as weak and are seen as shying away from the rigours of life.
- In a uniformed setup, subordinate staff do not want to appear weak as the “macho man” stereotype weighs them down.
- Alcoholism & Drug Abuse:
- To cope with the difficulty of such a setup, personnel often resort to alcoholism and drug abuse.
- In the latter cases, defaulters are punished as per the law and suitable departmental action is also taken.
Impact of Mental Health Issues
- Leads to Various Disorders:
- The main conditions include post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and substance use disorder.
- This impact can aggravate other medical conditions and ailments and usually extends beyond active service period into the post-retirement life.
- Damages the Career:
- Untreated mental illness can damage the career. If the symptoms are severe, the commanding officer may require duty limitations or recommend separation from the military for medical reasons.
- Adversely Affects Motivation:
- Rising mental health issues among the forces negatively impact their daily operations and motivation to continue their service.
Way Ahead
- Role of Leadership & Better Communication:
- The police leadership should strive to create a working environment that provides personal fulfilment to personnel and reduces the chances of mental stress and illness.
- As police leaders, we must increase communication with all the ranks.
- The senior’s office should be open to all ranks 24/7.
- During random inspections on the field, friendly communication with personnel on duty does not hurt discipline — it only increases his trust in the leadership and dedication to duty.
- Better Service Conditions:
- A salary alone may not provide them with enough job satisfaction vis-a-vis the hardships they endure.
- Good working conditions, leave, allowances and housing should be provided as entitlements.
- Enhanced Funding:
- Over the years, more recruitment and better funding have contributed to the fulfilment of some of these entitlements. Yet, there is a long way to go.
- Formalised Incentive System:
- Reward and recognition act as big motivators.
- The incentive system has to be formalised in every setup.
- Discipline with Well-being:
- The enforcement of discipline has to go hand-in-hand with concern for staff well-being.
- Bad apples should be eliminated but those with underlying issues must be identified and a different approach adopted.
- Grievance Redressal:
- Regular sampark sabhas need to be conducted where personnel can air their grievances and proper follow-up action must be taken on all possible issues.
- Sports and Cultural programmes:
- The sports and cultural programmes could increase bonhomie and create bonds between personnel, who support each other during crises.
Source: IE
