Joanne is a general duties police officer in the Queensland Police Service (QPS) working in the south  eastern region of the State. In her 5 years of service with the QPS she has quickly achieved the rank  of senior constable, has a strong sense of satisfaction from her work, and aspires to become a  detective in the criminal investigation branch. Like all police officers, she has experienced her fair  share of stressful and dangerous situations and exposure to critical incidents during her career.  However, with support from her extended social support networks, she has been able to effectively  manage these difficulties. Throughout most of her career, Joanne has maintained a supportive social  network of friends, both within and external to the QPS, and has been able to balance her work with  other interests and activities, including competing in triathlon events and playing club rugby league.  Joanne began to experience an increasingly heavy workload and longer work hours as she  progressed in her role with the QPS. Shift work and the unpredictable nature of her job often  restricted the time she had available to participate in recreational and social activities. She  progressively had less time to train for triathlon events and football and spent less time with friends  outside of the QPS. Despite her hard work and dedication to the job, Joanne felt that she was not  being offered the same opportunities for progression as her male colleagues, being overlooked for a  junior position in the criminal investigation branch. Being highly competitive, Joanne decided the best  way to address this issue was to work harder and for longer hours, often volunteering for special
duties and overtime.
Eventually, Joanne was doing nothing but work and would often spend her minimal down time at  home, feeling exhausted and drinking increasing amounts of alcohol to help her fall asleep. Her only  social outlet was going to the pub with work colleagues, where she would drink to intoxication after  most shifts. Joanne's colleagues noticed her undergoing significant weight gain, being easily agitated  at work, losing track of administrative tasks and often failing to concentrate during shift handovers. On  some occasions, it was noted that Joanne would present to work with her uniform disheveled and  smelling of alcohol. She no longer felt any joy from her triathlon and football training, resulting in her  stopping exercise altogether.
Being increasingly concerned for her wellbeing, one of Joanne's colleagues approached her one night  at the pub. Joanne became immediately tearful and confided that she was feeling "burnt out", empty  and that she had no hope for progression in her job. Given the lack of progression in her job, Joanne  said she had been feeling worthless and that she had begun experiencing thoughts of suicide. She  told her colleague that she did not feel like she could approach supervisors for assistance because of  a fear that she would be removed from operational duties. After chatting for a while, Joanne's  colleague convinced her to seek professional support.

1. Briefly outline what happened. What do you think was the most significant part(s) of the scenario? Why? 
2. Based on what you have learned about mental disorders, what symptoms do you think Joanne is experiencing? Which of the mental disorders discussed in module 2 would be most consistent with Joanne's symptoms? 
3. As Joanne, apply the "Question Model" (reflective practice) to process your experience. 
4. If you were the union representative, what recommendations for systemic change would you put forward to police management? Why?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Introduction Joanne a senior constable in the Queensland Police Service QPS has faced challenges in her career progression leading to increased stress ... View the full answer