Editing Riot control (section)

== Psychological toll on protesters and Police officers ==
As protests and riots rage on throughout the world, there is an ongoing concern that riot control is having an impact on individuals' mental health. This rise in protests has caused an inevitable increase in law-enforcement violence, which has profound impacts on the mental health of protesters and police officers, including [[Post-traumatic stress disorder|PTSD]], anxiety, and depression.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=DeVylder |first1=Jordan |last2=Fedina |first2=Lisa |last3=Link |first3=Bruce |date=November 2020 |title=Impact of Police Violence on Mental Health: A Theoretical Framework |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=110 |issue=11 |pages=1704–1710 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2020.305874 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=7542293 |pmid=32941068}}</ref> Studies have shown that rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas cause not only problems like eye irritation and external and internal injuries, but can also cause individuals to develop psychological issues.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lethal in Disguise - How Crowd-Control Weapons Impact Health and Human Rights |url=https://lethalindisguise.org/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=Lethal in Disguise |language=en-US}}</ref> This all comes after the American Public Health Association named police violence as a "public health issue," making it crucial to study the psychological effects caused by riots.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Addressing Law Enforcement Violence as a Public Health Issue |url=https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2019/01/29/law-enforcement-violence |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.apha.org}}</ref>

The Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests are an example that has been studied due to its psychological health effects, stemming from the severe nature of the police response. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Adam-Troin |first=Jais |date=August 21, 2020 |title=Police use of force during street protests: A pressing public mental health concern |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30253-4/fulltext |journal=Lancet |volume=26 |via=EClinicalMedicine: Part of the Lancet Discovery Science}}</ref> During these protests in Hong Kong, the police reportedly used upwards of 16,000 canisters of tear gas on these protesters. A survey of the Hong Kong protesters found that 25.7% of the population experienced depression, while 9.1% had thoughts of committing suicide.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hou |first=Wai Kai |date=February 2021 |title=Probable depression and suicidal ideation in Hong Kong amid massive civil unrest |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1047279720303677#:~:text=During%20the%20anti%2Dextradition%20bill,the%20Umbrella%20Movement%20of%202014. |journal=Annals of Epidemiology |volume=54 |pages=45–51 |doi=10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.09.006 |pmid=32949722 |via=Science Direct|url-access=subscription }}</ref> There were similar findings during the [[Arab Spring]] in Egypt, where school children in schools near the Tahrir Square (the location of massive riots) were experiencing higher rates of depression.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Moussa |first1=Suaad |last2=Kholy |first2=Monira El |last3=Enaba |first3=Dalia |last4=Salem |first4=Khadiga |last5=Ali |first5=Asmaa |last6=Nasreldin |first6=Mohamed |last7=Gabal |first7=Mohamed |last8=Emadeldin |first8=Maha |last9=Moselhy |first9=Hamdy F. |date=2015 |title=Impact of political violence on the mental health of school children in Egypt |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25992868/ |journal=Journal of Mental Health (Abingdon, England) |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=289–293 |doi=10.3109/09638237.2015.1019047 |issn=1360-0567 |pmid=25992868}}</ref> In France, it was found that [[Yellow vests protests|Yellow Vest]] protesters who encountered police violence had a 1.54% higher likelihood of experiencing severe depressive symptoms and were 2.58 times more likely to exhibit signs indicative of PTSD. In the whole scheme of police violence towards protesters, it is said that people who were involved in or just living in areas affected by riots could experience an uptick in PTSD by 4% to 41%.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Ni |first1=Michael Y. |last2=Kim |first2=Yoona |last3=McDowell |first3=Ian |last4=Wong |first4=Suki |last5=Qiu |first5=Hong |last6=Wong |first6=Irene Ol |last7=Galea |first7=Sandro |last8=Leung |first8=Gabriel M. |date=March 2020 |title=Mental health during and after protests, riots and revolutions: A systematic review |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31989834/ |journal=The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=232–243 |doi=10.1177/0004867419899165 |issn=1440-1614 |pmid=31989834}}</ref>

Risk factors that can exacerbate mental health issues from riots:<ref name=":0" />

* Lower socioeconomic status
* Female sex
* Prior exposure to violence
* Excessive social media use
* Lack of support from family and friends
* Ongoing personal conflicts

=== Psychological Effects on Police Officers ===
When considering the psychological effects of riot control, it is important to also examine how police officers are impacted by riots. They are exposed to some of the same risks and challenges, such as having objects thrown at them, being physically assaulted, and being exposed to [[Riot control agent|RCA’s]]. Even without considering riots, police officers already have almost double the risk of developing PTSD, depression, and anxiety than the average person.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Santre |first=Siriporn |title=Mental Disorders and Mental Health Promotion in Police Officers |journal=Health Psychology Research |date=2024 |volume=12 |pages=93904 |doi=10.52965/001c.93904 |issn=2420-8124 |pmid=38375073|pmc=10875161 }}</ref> When working the frontline of a riot is added, these numbers are bound to go up. For example, during the unrest after the murders of [[George Floyd]] and [[Breonna Taylor]], the number of recorded cases of PTSD among police officers increased upwards of 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ridderbusch |first=Katja |date=2021-06-14 |title=Violence, Stress, Scrutiny Weigh On Police Mental Health |url=https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/06/14/violence-stress-scrutiny-weigh-on-police-mental-health |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Georgia Public Broadcasting |language=en}}</ref> With the increase in mental illness from the civil unrest and public scrutiny, many police officers resigned, resorted to substance abuse, and even suicide.

Symptoms that Police Officers may face after riots:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gear |first=Haven |date=2023-09-20 |title=Mental Health For Law Enforcement Officers |url=https://havengear.com/blog/mental-health-for-law-enforcement/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=Haven Gear |language=en}}</ref>

* Increased heart rate
* Nervousness or restlessness
* Trembling
* Sweating
* Reduced Appetite
* Anxiety or restlessness
* Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death

=== January 6th Riots ===
On the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|6th, January 2021]], protestors stormed the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. In the process, they beat, trampled and sprayed police officers with chemicals, overwhelmed the police, and almost killed numerous police officers who attempted to stop them from entering the Capitol. In response to this event, members of the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department suffered from PTSD, anxiety, and depression.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=A Year Later, Jan. 6 Still Haunts Some D.C. Police Officers |url=https://dcist.com/story/22/01/06/d-c-police-jan-6-trauma/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=DCist |language=en}}</ref> Police Officers Bobby Tabron and DeDivine K. Carter of the Metropolitan Police Department filed a lawsuit against former President, [[Donald Trump|Donald J. Trump]] - stating that by inciting the mob, Donald Trump caused them "severe injuries" and great "emotional distress."<ref name=":1" /> Both officers claimed to suffer from recurrent dreams and thoughts of the attack on the Capitol Building. Beyond this lawsuit, multiple police officers who responded to the Capitol committed suicide in the following months:<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lowell |first=Hugo |date=2021-08-03 |title=Fourth officer who responded to US Capitol attack dies by suicide |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/03/kyle-defreytag-us-capitol-attack-police-officer-dies |access-date=2024-07-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

* Metropolitan Police Officer Gunther Hashida
* Metropolitan Police Officer Kyle DeFreytag
* Capitol Police Officer [[Death of Howard Liebengood|Howard Liebengood]]
* Metropolitan Police Officer [[Death of Jeffrey L. Smith|Jeffrey Smith]]