Doenças mentais entre profissionais da segurança pública: prevalência, fatores de risco e estratégias de prevenção

Abstract

This article analyzes mental illness among public security professionals, focusing on police officers, firefighters, and prison system personnel, based on a literature review conducted in PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar. The main objective is to discuss how continued exposure to violence, hierarchical pressure, work overload, work-life conflict, and stigma surrounding psychological care contribute to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, Burnout syndrome, problematic alcohol use, and suicide risk. The methodology adopted was qualitative, exploratory, and bibliographic, with the intentional selection of fifteen references published between 2021 and 2025. The discussion shows that psychological distress does not result only from extreme episodes, but from the combination of everyday micro-violence, operational demands, low predictability, and institutional cultures that value silent endurance. The studies examined also indicate that social support, systematic screening, support programs, leadership training, and timely access to specialized care have protective effects. It becomes clear that treating the mental health of these workers as a peripheral issue weakens the public service itself. Strengthening prevention, listening, and follow-up policies appears to be a condition for preserving lives, family relationships, and the quality of professional performance.