'); G-4KHGFKKRZR Whitewashing: A Cop in PTSD Crisis — Part 2 - OTR - Achieving Mental Health for Real
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Episode 9

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Published on:

18th Jun 2026

Whitewashing: A Cop in PTSD Crisis — Part 2

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and trauma that may be triggering for listeners with PTSD or related experiences. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

This is the conclusion of the story of Andrew Mclean who spent 18 years as a police constable with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, after starting his career as a news reporter. He served three years as a Detective in the General Investigations Unit, leading major cases involving shootings, stabbings, armed robberies, and gang‑related violence. On front‑line patrol, he stepped into the role of acting Sergeant and coached new recruits entering the job he once loved.

In May 2021, the weight of everything he had seen — and everything he had carried alone — finally broke through. Andrew was diagnosed with Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder and has been off duty since. During that time, he wrote a book about his descent into PTSD and the long climb back, becoming an advocate for emergency‑service mental health and the people who are still silently drowning inside the uniform.

If you heard Part 1, you know Andrew’s story began with a collapse — a moment where the job, the pressure, and the untreated PTSD finally broke through. But the break isn’t the whole story. Part 2 is about the climb back.

This is where we look at the recovery, the counseling, the medication, and the support he finally received and also the parts of the system that tried to smooth it over. Because whitewashing doesn’t happen in the crisis — it happens in the cleanup. It happens when institutions try to make the story look cleaner than it really was.

Andrew Lorne McLean

Website: beaten-black-and-blue.com/beaten-black-blue

Book: https://www.amazon.ca/Beaten-Black-Blue-Journey-Light-ebook/dp/B0F5BMPPN3

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.mclean.90410

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beaten_black_and_blue_book

OTR Sites:

Podcast Website: https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealth

Blog: https://realplus.bearblog.dev/otr-lies-from-the-tablecloth/

Public Square Community Ko-Fi.com/otrachieving

Mail: OvertheRainbowbob@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otrachievingmentalhealhfr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/over_the_rainbow_achieving

X: https://twitter.com/overtherain1bow

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEYTddPDUaiZbFliit1r5Q

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-adleman/



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About the Podcast

OTR - Achieving Mental Health for Real
This podcast offers hope for people who suffer with Depression/Anxiety, ADHD, OCD, Bi Polar, PTSD, Dyslexia and other mental health conditions
In a world where too many people suffer in silence, this podcast opens a door. A door to clarity, to hope, and to the possibility of real recovery. Every episode is crafted for those who feel overwhelmed, misunderstood, or stuck — and for anyone ready to take the next step toward a healthier, more grounded life.
Your host, Bob Adleman, brings lived experience, practical insight, and a steady hand. He guides you through the patterns, the breakthroughs, and the real tools that help you overcome any mental health challenge and move toward a happier, more resilient version of yourself.
If you’re searching for a place where honesty meets healing, where community meets courage, and where change becomes possible, you’re in the right place.
. Write me at overtherainbowbob@gmail.com Or follow on Twitter @Overtherain1bow https://twitter.com/overtherain1bow Or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/otrachievingmentalhealhfr /><

About your host

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Robert Adleman

I am a 64-year-old male with ADHD, OCD, severe depression, severe  anxiety, and dyslexia. I struggled for 40 years working in the high-pressured Information technology field. Even though it was good money, I didn't have much luck in the financial department.
In 1991, at the age of 33, was when the severe anxiety attack occurred, and the support system was not there to handle it. So, I checked myself in to a mental hospital in Piscataway, NJ. That started my long road to recovery. After the attack, I was severely depressed and anxious for 6 months. This experience is detailed in episode four "Beating Severe Anxiety/Depression".