‘Alarm’ over police PTSD
Mum’s scare after 6-a-day habit
NEARLY one in five police and staff suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, a study revealed.
Experts warned of a “public sector crisis” after a poll of 17,000 officers and support workers showed PTSD rates were nearly five times higher than the wider population.
The University of Cambridge report claimed twothirds of sufferers did not know they had the disorder.
Dr Jess Miller called the findings “alarming”, saying a “stiff-upper-lip” will not work in modern policing. A MUM-of-three who downed as many as six energy drinks a day is warning of their risks after having a pacemaker fitted at the age of 32.
Barmaid Samantha Sharpe said the sugary, high-caffeine drinks gave her “palpitations” and she suffered blackouts after becoming “an addict to the stuff ”.
She also developed kidney stones and was told she was on the verge of Type 2 diabetes due to her high sugar intake.
Doctors diagnosed a second-degree heart blockage and operated last year. Samantha, now
33, said: “I have three children and work... it was daily life that pushed me to the energy
Samantha Sharpe drinks. I work evenings so it got me through the day. It woke me up. “They made my heart beat faster, which would cause palpitations. “Then I would crash when I needed another, causing my heart rate to drop to 20 beats per minute. “It would give me headaches, I’d be grumpy and I’d need another to keep going. I wouldn’t sleep.
“I felt like an addict to the stuff.” Doctors were unsure what caused Samantha’s heart issue, but said her habit would not have helped.
A Daily Mirror campaign last year led to ministers agreeing to a ban on energy drink sales for children. But Samantha, of Leicester, said: “I still see mums buying it for their children.”