At roughly the same time the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was entering the lexicon, Joseph Wambaugh published “The Choirboys,” a 1975 novel that described some of the behaviors of police officers who are repeatedly exposed to traumatic situations, based on his 14 years as a Los Angeles police officer.

The storyline revolves around a group of L.A. police officers, most of them in their 20s, who seek to escape the horrors of what they had witnessed through after-shift drinking binges the officers refer to as “choir practices.” As the officers descend into a cycle of depression, disillusionment and self-destruction, the lack of available counseling or tools to deal with their trauma ultimately leads to a murder and botched cover-up.

Near the end of the novel, Wambaugh shows some sympathy for the officers through the voice of the shift commander, reporting to  his superiors.  “They weren’t troublemakers…they were just policemen. Rather ordinary young guys. Maybe a little lonelier than some. Or scared.”

On Sunday afternoon, emergency personnel from Columbus Police Department, Columbus Fire and Rescue and multiple EMTs responded to what is believed to be a suicide by hanging at a billboard located on the southbound lanes on Highway 45 near Columbus Marble Works. It was a grim scene made even more difficult to bear by the amount of time needed to recover the body. Lowndes County coroner Greg Merchant said a man had been seen on the billboard structure at 6:30 a.m. It is likely the body remained there for hours before CFR personnel, using a ladder truck, were able to retrieve the body. In the meantime, CPD rerouted traffic in both directions for several hours to limit public exposure to the awful scene.

For first-responders, being exposed to these terrible tragedies is the nature of the job. Experienced first responders say they never really escape the trauma of such scenes, but you do learn to cope with it, often through the help of counseling and other measures designed as an outlet for their emotions.

For civilians who witness such scenes, there may be no such measures in place. This is especially true for children.

Sunday’s tragedy touched on two things we struggle to come to terms with. First, is the exposure to death in such an unexpected fashion. Second, is the manner of death: public suicide.

There was a time when suicides were cloaked in shame, sometimes resentment, even anger — such a profound violation of sensibilities it was something that should not be talked about.

We have made some progress over the years, but it’s still difficult to provide a rational reason for an irrational act. We do know that the majority of people who take their own lives are in a disturbed mental and emotional state.

Each day in America, an average of 132 people take their lives, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. It’s the 11th largest cause of death in the nation.

Given those figures, it’s important for children to be able to process suicide if and when they encounter it. Child psychologists urge parents to be honest with children if someone they know has taken his or her life. Although difficult to discuss – even among adults – these deaths need to be confronted, gently but truthfully. Children process much of what they encounter by  internalizing the experience. Left to their own reasoning, children might feel they are somehow to blame for the death and wonder if it’s something that will happen to them. Children need to be able to express those fears and emotions. The answers may not be entirely satisfying. But they are better than silence.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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