Long-time NT copper Garry Smith opens up about his battle with post traumatic stress disorder

LONG-time Territory copper Garry Smith – renowned for his humorous NT Police Facebook posts – has opened up about his battle with post traumatic stress disorder

Garry Smith is a long-serving police officer who has been affected by depression and PTSD - he wants to help others with the problem.

LONG-time Territory copper Garry Smith – renowned for his humorous NT Police Facebook posts – has opened up about his battle with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The popular duty watch commander has been in the police force for 27 years and has generated a big Facebook following for the NT Police Force page due to his laid-back, funny quips.

He is on medical leave for PTSD, but has spoken for the first time about his battle with the debilitating condition.

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PTSD is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock.

Senior Sergeant Smith said he now wanted to dedicate as much of his time as possible assisting others struggling with similar conditions.

He said everyone involved with police work and other frontline emergency services like firefighters, ambulance officers, doctors or nurses all had to had to deal with challenging and tragic situations which had the potential to leave psychological scars.

“Unfortunately I have attended some of the most horrific incidents commonly faced by police,” Snr-Sgt Smith said.

“Anything that was going to go bad seemed to happen when I was on shift. I knew these incidents were having an effect on me but I did not understand what it was doing to me initially.”

Snr-Sgt Smith said that of the thousands of critical incidents he attended during his almost three-decade career, his treatment team pinpointed a handful of events that had likely caused a profound effect.

While not going into detail of the events that triggered the PTSD, Snr-Sgt Smith said he did nonetheless continue to “put on a brave face” after critical incidents in a bid to support the more junior officers.

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“I rarely had any support or if it was offered I brushed it aside because I am that big tough Garry Smith,” he said.

“I was too ‘tough’, too ‘proud’, too ‘ashamed’ to accept or seek help. I self medicated. I turned to alcohol as my peer support and ... allowed it to take control of my life.”

Snr-Sgt Smith said some of the signs he had been slipping into the “dark areas” of PTSD included his reliance on alcohol and food to feel better about himself, becoming cynical, critical and impatient, turning his back on family and friends, nightmares and interrupted sleep, lack of energy and self-imposed isolation.

He admitted also to gambling and drinking to a point of financial difficulty.

“When I reached absolute rock bottom I self-harmed and ended up in custody of my peers,” he said.

“I am lucky enough that the Northern Territory Police took it upon themselves to help me get back on my feet. Firstly through Employee Support Services and now in the hands of an outsourced treatment team.

“I made it known to family, friends and basically all and sundry that I was a sufferer of PTSD. It shocked many however it also had a reaction I was quite surprised by.

“My PTSD gives me a great understanding of what all police members can and will go through. For the remaining nine or so years of my career I want to dedicate as much time as I can to help others that may go through what I have been through.

“Today I am a much better person. I am in a better place now than I have ever been. I see a future. I see myself becoming a useful and dedicated member of the NT Police again.”