Thursdays with NAMI: Police officer outed as bipolar, gets sidelined with desk work
November 3, 2022
Sadie McDonald works in law enforcement in a medium-sized NC city; she’d rather not mention the name. Someone in her life informed the force that she lives with bipolar disorder. Since then, her fitness for duty has been questioned.
“Right now, I’m being paid to do desk work,” she said. “I get spurts of work and lots of time to do nothing.”
When she needed medical leave to get her medication adjusted, an official psychiatric evaluation was ordered by the department. She knows there are other cops with serious mental illness, but they keep it a secret. Her career is in the hands of a “panel of experts.”
How should police departments handle the mental health needs of their officers? Suicide rates among law enforcement are very high, and yet there are penalties for seeking help. Join us to hear Sadie’s story and learn more about this issue. This event is free and open to the public. Find us on Facebook Live or register here to participate on Zoom.
