USA Today reported that 140 police officers died by suicide in 2017. The study also found that little has been done to address PTSD and depression in responders even though they are five times more likely than civilians to suffer from symptoms. It's said that suicides are not reported as much as the high-profile on-duty deaths. One co-author of the study mentioned that line-of-duty deaths are covered widely by the press but suicides are not because of the level of secrecy around them. That there is not enough conversation about mental health within police and fire departments and that 'silence can be deadly' because it is interpreted as a lack of acceptance and thus morphs into a barrier that prevents first responders from accessing potentially lifesaving mental health services.