Stress and suicide in police officers: paradigm of occupational stress.

All occupations are associated with stress, but certain occupations are significantly more stressful than others. Stress is not always harmful. It is the individual's reaction to stress that determines the outcome, ie, whether the individual will adapt or become maladaptive. Individuals who feel they can control events or are in control of their lives are better able to handle stress than individuals who believe they are the victims of fate or chance and who feel powerless and helpless. For those individuals who feel powerless or helpless, suicide may be a means of taking control over their helplessness. Police officers, who are subject to extraordinary stress, present a paradigm for the study and treatment of stress in other occupations.