ABSTRACT
Vernon Geberth has noted that police officers who kill the perpetrator in a suicide-by-cop situation often become depressed and angry when they realize that they were used as agents of death for a suicidal perpetrator. In some cases, the distress experienced by the police officer may be so strong and prolonged that it amounts to a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dean Scoville noted that the incident commanders, who have to order police officers to shoot at a perpetrator, may also suffer from post-traumatic stress. For a strict psychiatric diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder as defined by the American Psychiatric Association, the patient must suffer from several clusters of symptoms. Richard Bryant has described the variety of techniques which can be used to help those with post-traumatic stress. The counselor must indicate to the clients during the debriefing process after the stand-off that their behavior has been courageous and something to be proud of.
