High rate of police suicides points to mental health crisis among SA’s first responders скачать в хорошем качестве

High rate of police suicides points to mental health crisis among SA’s first responders

One member of the SA Police Service dies by suicide every week on average, highlighting the mental health toll on South Africa’s overworked and under-resourced first responders. Fifty-four SAPS members took their own lives in the 2024/25 reporting period, a rising trend which has seen 300 police suicides reported in the past seven years. This Mental Health Month in October, the South African Society of Psychiatrists warns that chronic exposure to trauma, coupled with limited resources and lack of mental health support, puts the lives of first responders at risk, along with the lives of those they work to help and protect. Dr Siki Mdletye from the South African Society of Psychiatrists elaborates.