Post-traumatic stress help needed, say women police

More than 100 female police officers from across Atlantic Canada are in Charlottetown this week, and one of the topics of discussion is post traumatic stress disorder.

It is the annual conference of Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement, which focuses on the unique challenges facing women in policing.

PTSD is the number one cause of sick days for police, and clinical psychologist Caroline LeBlanc, who spoke at the conference, said women officers are at a particularly high risk.

"They are more impacted by trauma, or the work that they are doing on a daily basis," said LeBlanc.

LeBlanc told the conference that dealing with PTSD starts with taking care of yourself: healthy eating and a focus on your personal life.

"They're dealing every single day with the most difficult parts of society, the most difficult situations," she said.

Other speakers talked to the crowd about cyberbullying and investigation techniques.

"This is really a great forum for Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement to talk about different issues we have," said Sgt. Carolyn Nichols of Halifax Regional Police.