Ships from: Phoenix, MD
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Richmond, TX
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Richmond, TX
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Horatiogreen
Posted August 11, 2012
CopShock (2nd Edition, 2008)Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by Allen R. Kates was a real eye-opener for me. It follows the lives of police officers and police dispatchers (and soldiers who became cops) involved in severely traumatic events, and shows how sometimes they cannot cope. It shows them at their worst, and then describes how they manage to become mentally and emotionally healthy again. The book has 2 amazing chapters on 9/11, and stories about cops trying to deal emotionally with assaults, drugs, shootings, being blown up by bombs, and the symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, including flashbacks, anger, nightmares, and concentration problems, to name just a few.
But the book also describes what to do before a traumatic event, and especially what to do afterwards, during the first 24 hours and then the days and weeks that follow. PTSD can be controlled, managed and even cured. The author includes a chapter about Resiliency, and the techniques that not only police officers can learn, but anybody affected by trauma can learn and apply.
At the end of the book are specific resources for PTSD or trauma sufferers such as how to find treatment centers, and help for alcohol and drug addiction, eating disorders, the overuse of anabolic steroids, coping with the death of officers in the line of duty, anxiety and many more problems many trauma sufferers encounter.
To top it off, the book also includes self-tests for resiliency, anxiety, stress, panic disorder, PTSD and depression. All in all, this is an asounding book, a major achievement in trauma literature. The book is so good that the A&E Television Network based an entire documentary on it. If you have experienced psychological or emotional trauma, and think you may have PTSD symptoms, this is the book for you. I only wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2008
Allen Kates' second edition of CopShock brings it all together and is, without a doubt, one of the most valuable books available for police officers, families, suicide prevention personnel and veterans on the topic of posttraumatic stress disorder 'PTSD'. I encourage you to read it in its entirety, not just the new chapters--it's a treasure trove of information well worth re-reading. For those who did not read the first edition, Kates is concise and to the point as he discusses what PTSD is and how it occurs from internalized reactions of horror to a critical incident or from an accumulation of events. The confusion into which officers are thrown in many situations is well laid out 'the officer who 'doesn't shoot' experiencing trauma like the officer who does, for example'. 'What to Do About CopShock' remains a tremendously valuable chapter. Kates encourages officers to set up a support system before a critical incident occurs, which includes friends and family, peer counselors and therapists and support groups. 'Preparing for the inevitable,' says Kates, 'puts officers in control during a period when control is sometimes taken away.' This is life-saving advice. Along with sound observations and advice, he offers several excellent self-tests and evaluations and an extensive list of resources available to officers. Additionally, he points out that the exploring of early life events, prior to employment, can further aid them in coping with future incidents. One important addition is a chapter on officers dealing with their 9/11 experiences, particularly cases in which the symptoms did not display for years after. This is an important chapter not only because it describes the struggles faced by officers, anywhere, who may be faced with a delayed onset, but it describes the role played by POPPA, an organization for NYPD officers that continues to offer not only peer support but a broad range of services, volunteers and referrals. This nonprofit organization is a classic example for everyone of how much can still be done across the country in broadening mental health care and support for emergency workers. Their new approaches illustrate that it is NOT time to 'close the patent office' on suicide prevention programs and that new ideas are vital. The chapter on 'Resiliency' is also a new, thoughtful chapter that offers some well considered suggestions on developing what the author calls a 'resilience' to future traumatic events. It's not, he notes, something you merely assume you have--he provides an excellent inventory for self evaluation and planning. The suggestions are excellent, such as broadening one's viewpoint, acceptance, considering support groups, and taking advantage of a mental health professional to develop a healthy strategy for moving ahead. It was hard to improve on the original edition of CopShock, but Allen Kates has done it superbly! ..... by Andy O'Hara, Badge of Life
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Boyseven
Posted September 15, 2012
CopShock (the second edition is what I read) is an excellent book. I found myself going through it and underlining phrases and using a highlighter. As I'm somebody with PTSD, I needed somebody to explain it well, and illustrate it in stories. Best of all, the author shows how to prevent PTSD, how to deal with the symptoms if you should get it, and even the best therapies for getting rid of it.
There are so many chapters that hit home: being shot, cut by a blade, beaten, attacked. It even shows the repercussions from being blown up by a terrorist bomb. There are amazing chapters on cops and firefighters who managed to get out of the WTC burning buildings alive, and what they had to do to heal from the trauma on 9/11. There's a chapter on how to learn resiliency, which are techniques for getting over the trauma or combatting them. The author even tells you what you need to do before a trauma event and afterwards. There are self-tests for PTSD and anxiety, and a whole slew of resources if you try to cope by drinking too much, over eating or not eating enough, or have suicidal thoughts, etc. If anybody suffers from PTSD, this is the perfect book to read and use.
Lilyseed
Posted August 20, 2012
CopShock (2nd Ed) is a book I wish had been written 20 years ago, when I
needed it the most. I was especially anxious to see if women police
officers were included in the book, as too often women are forgotten
when discussing cops. To my relief, the first chapter told the story of
a female cop in New York City who was attacked and severely injured. As
a result, she developed PTSD, at a time that not much help was
available. But she survived, and learned to deal with her symptoms. And
survival is what matters. The book goes on to tell stories of police
officers in different situations, showing how they fell into despair,
but found their way back to reality, and what mental health “tools” they
used to recover. The book also includes police dispatchers, another
forgotten group of responders, and the pain and trauma they experience.
PTSD can be cured, and this book shows the way. As well as many cop
stories of hope and encouragement, the book includes self-tests for
things like anxiety, PTSD and panic disorder, and chapters on how to
learn resiliency, what to do about PTSD, before you experience a trauma,
what to do afterwards. At the end of the book are invaluable sections
with resources so you can find out what to do about problems like
alcoholism, drug addiction, suicidal tendencies, and many other issues.
If you are a cop, still in police academy or thinking about becoming
one, read this book. You won’t be sorry. It will prepare you for the
best and for the worst you may experience.
PTSD is extremely relevant for various reasons and CopShock sheds light on a very problematic area - the police officer's daily exposure to traumatic events. The point is, that contemporary psychological approaches to treatment of PTSD, overlook the extremities and the nature of trauma from a serviceman's point of view. A main problem is, that the diagnostic manual, DSM IV, does not counts for the complex situation - the result of a vast number traumatic events. This being said, CopShock is more or less a look-up book, that is more intended for American colleagues who need information of various kind e.g. on treatment available for American police officers, which makes CopShock less applicable for foreign officers. Nevertheless CopShock is recommendable reading as it accomplish a very important job - focusing on the complexity of PTSD in police officers.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 2, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
More About This Textbook
Overview
In the second edition of this much praised book on police trauma survival, almost 50 percent of CopShock has been expanded, revised and updated with new material, including self-tests for PTSD, Anxiety, Stress, Panic Disorder, Depression, and Resiliency, as well as information on treatment centers.
The new chapters include stories about police officers and firefighters on 9/11 trying to save survivors from the burning World Trade Center towers; and stories about police dispatchers and police wives who suffer from vicarious trauma, but are often ignored because they did not witness the critical incident firsthand. In another new chapter, the second edition investigates how police officers can develop resiliency to horrific events to help prevent PTSD. Stories from the first edition of CopShock are also included, as they have become sacred to many readers. These are stories about police officers trying to cope with PTSD as a result of brutal assaults, shootings, death investigations, previous careers as combat soldiers, terrorism, and even PTSD as a result of not shooting.
Law enforcement officers throughout the United States, Canada, and 8other countries have used this book in their peer support programs, police academies, and post-trauma units. Psychologists, psychiatrists, first responders, police and support organizations recommend the book to their patients and members.
Since the publication of CopShock's first edition in 1999, the book has been reviewed and praised around the world. The A&E Television Network produced a documentary based on CopShock that is shown today in police academies and peer support groups.
In this new second edition, published on September 11th to commemorate the attack on America, CopShock will help many more police officers, firefighters, first responders, and war veterans cope with the damaging effects of PTSD.
Product Details
Related Subjects
Meet the Author
Kates is a member of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing (MFAW), and is a writing coach, editor and writer who helps others succeed with their book manuscripts.
Read an Excerpt
"The sound started out faintly and picked up speed like a train and got closer. Because of all the air being pushed out of the building," said Jimmy. "I felt this huge blast of wind."
He could see beams and debris on the ground, but didn't know they were from the south tower, and there was so much dust billowing toward him, he couldn't even tell that the north tower was thundering down.
He turned toward 6 World Trade, his back to the crumbling north tower. On his right was one of the beams that supported the upper floors of 6 World Trade, and it protected his right side. His air tank protected his back. Nothing protected his left.
He knelt down and curled into a ball.
That's when the pulverized cement and glass and ground up office equipment hit ground level, and the debris cascaded towards him in a churning toxic cloud.
"I was getting hit with debris, and I was like, Holy s___, that hurt. And the next chunk that hit me was a little bigger, and it hurt a little more, and it was getting progressively worse. I was getting buried, and resigned myself to the fact that this was the day I was gonna die."
He reached for his face piece attached by a hose to his air tank to try to get some air, but it was down by his ankles, already buried.
The debris piled up over his knees and then over his waist. Very soon he would be completely buried.
"They say when you're dying, your whole life passes before your eyes. It wasn't like that for me. I thought about mywife. I thought about leaving her a widow, and we hadn't had any kids yet.
"And I thought about how they were gonna find me when they dug me out, curled up in the fetal position, and for some reason that bothered the hell out of me. I said to myself, I can't let them find me like this."
That's what prompted Jimmy to push off the debris burying him and stand up, and when he did, "I expected to get sliced in half by a beam."
He realized then that the windows in 6 World Trade were busted out. "I figured that inside had to be better, because where I'm at I'm definitely dead." And he dived headfirst into the building.
Then it occurred to him that there were several sub-basement levels, and he didn't know if there was a floor inside the building he was diving into. "The floor mighta gotten knocked down, and, for all I know, I'm falling six stories."
He landed on his back, face up, on the floor just underneath the windowsill. His helmet was gone, and the debris surging over him filled his mouth, nose and eyes with dust.
Several seconds later, everything stopped. It was quiet. No wind, no voices. He couldn't even hear the sound of his heart beating.
"It was like every sense was turned off. You couldn't see anything because it was pitch black. You couldn't hear anything because the fine particles of dust in the air blanketed the sound. You couldn't hear yourself talk. You couldn't breathe."
Jimmy got up on his hands and knees and sat on the windowsill. He took off his gloves, shoved a hand in his mouth and tried to scrape the muck out of his mouth with his fingernails.
"I couldn't get up any spit. The dust was so fine, it soaked up the moisture in your mouth. I tried breathing, and every time I took in a deep breath, it seared my lungs. So I tried to take short, shallow breaths."
He dug around for his face piece, shook it out, put it on, and turned on the tank's air regulator. But even though he thought he'd cleaned out the mask, the forced air blasted fine dust down into his lungs, and he ripped it off his face and choked.
Jimmy couldn't see anything, not even the glow from small fires surrounding him. It was so dark and silent, he didn't know if he was inside or outside. Once the dust settled, he could see hazy beams of sunlight coming through the blown out windows. Then he realized he was outside. He didn't know how he got there.
"I thought I was the only one left."
Table of Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Assaults
Chapter 2: What Is CopShock?
Chapter 3: 9/11
Chapter 4: 9/11, Months or Years Later
Chapter 5: Drugs
Chapter 6: Shootings
Chapter 7: Family
Chapter 8: Soldiers
Chapter 9: Flashbacks
Chapter 10: Not Shooting
Chapter 11: Bomb Squad
Chapter 12: Police Dispatchers
Chapter 13: What To Do About CopShock
Chapter 14: Resiliency
Chapter 15: Support Sources A to M
Chapter 16: Support Sources N to Z
Appendix 1-Resiliency Self-Test
Appendix 2-Anxiety Self-Test
Appendix 3-Stress Self-test
Appendix 4-Panic Disorder Self-Test
Appendix 5-PTSD Self-Test
Appendix 6-Depression Self-Test
Appendix 7 Please Listen (handout)
Notes
Bibliography
Subject Index
Support Sources Index
Acknowledgments
About W. H. Martin
About Allen R. Kates