Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T00:45:21.487Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Psychiatric morbidity in the male sentenced Irish prisons population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Dearbhla Duffy ,
Sally Linehan  and
Harry G Kennedy
Dearbhla Duffy
Affiliation:
National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland
Sally Linehan
Affiliation:
National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland
Harry G Kennedy
Affiliation:
National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background: This is the first epidemiologically representative cross-sectional study of psychiatric morbidity using research diagnostic instruments in sentenced prisoners in Ireland.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and psychiatric service requirements.

Method: We interviewed 340 men serving a fixed sentence (14.6% of total) and 98 men serving a life sentence (82% of total). Prisoners were drawn from 15 different prisons using a random stratified sampling method. Mental illness and substance misuse was measured using the SADS-L, SODQ and a structured interview to generate ICD-10-DCR diagnoses.

Results: We found a high prevalence of mental illness. Our six month prevalence for psychosis (2.7%) was similar to an international meta-analysis. We found a significantly higher prevalence of psychosis in life sentenced prisoners (6.1%) compared to fixed sentenced prisoners (1.8%). Drugs and alcohol problems were very prevalent.

Conclusions: Using the six month prevalence figures found for psychosis, we estimate that there are approximately 79 sentenced male prisoners with a severe mental illness who would require treatment in hospital additional to current provision. We discuss the relationship between drug availability and the prevalence of severe mental illnesses in prisons.

Keywords

Psychiatric morbiditymale sentencedIrish prison population.
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , June 2006 , pp. 54 - 62
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Guze, SB, Criminality and Psychiatric Disorders. 1976 New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
2.Novick, LF, Penna, RD, Schwartz, MS. Health care status of the New York prison population. Medical Care 1977; 15: 134–151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.James, JF, Gregory, D, Jones, RK, Rundell, OH. Psychiatric morbidity in prisons. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 1980; 31:674–7.Google ScholarPubMed
4.Roper, WFA, A comparative study of the Wakefield Prison population in 1958, parts I & II. British Journal of Delinquency 1950; 1 : 15–28, & 1: 243-70.Google Scholar
5.Robinson, CB, Patten, JW, Kerr, WS. A psychiatric assessment of criminal offenders. Medicine, Science and the Law 1965; 5: 140–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Bluglass, R. A psychiatric study of Scottish convicted prisoners. 1966. University of St Andrews MD Thesis.Google Scholar
7.Gibbens, TCN. Psychiatric studies of Borstal lads. 1967 OUP: Maudsley Monograph No. 11.Google Scholar
8.Gunn, J, Robertson, G, Dell, S, Way, C. Psychiatric aspects of imprisonment. 1978. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
9.Gunn, J, Maden, A., Swinton, M. Mentally Disordered Prisoners. 1990. Report to the Home Office; London.Google Scholar
10.Smith, C, O'Neill, H, Tobin, J, Walshe, D, Dooley, E. Mental Disorders Detected in an Irish Prison Sample. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health. 1996; 6(2): 177–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Mohan, D, Scully, P, Collins, C, Smith, C. Psychiatric Disorder in an Irish female prison. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 1997; 7: 229–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.O'Mahoney, P. Mountjoy prisoners: a sociological and criminological profile. 1997 DublinStationary Office.Google Scholar
13.Fazel, S, Danesh, J. Serious mental disorder in 23,000 prisoners: a systematic review of 62 surveys. Lancet 2002; 359: 545–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Kennedy, H. Limits of Psychiatric Evidence in Criminal Cases: Morals and Madness. Medico-Legal Journal of Ireland 2005, 11(1), 1–17Google Scholar
15.Gunn, J, Maden, A, Swinton, M. Treatment needs of prisoners with psychiatric disorders. British Medical Journal 1991; 303, 338–341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Birmingham, L, Mason, D, Grubin, D. Prevalence of mental disorder in remand prisoners: consecutive case study. British Medical Journal 1996; 313, 1521–1524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Brooke, D, Taylor, C, Gunn, J, Maden, A. Point prevalence of mental disorder in unconvicted male prisoners in England and Wales. British Medical Journal 1996, 313: 1524–1527.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Brugha, T, Singleton, N, Bebbington, P, Farrell, M, Jenkins, R, Coid, J, Fryers, T, Melzer, D, Lewis, G.. Psychosis in the community and in prisons: a report from the British National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity. American Journal of Psychiatry 2005; 162:774–780.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Liebling, A. Suicides in prisons. 1992. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
20.Liebling, A & Ward, T. (eds). Deaths in custody. 1994. London: Whiting & Birch.Google Scholar
21.Fazel, S, Hope, T, O'Donnell, I, Jacoby, R. Unmet treatment needs of older prisoners: a primary care survey. Age & Aging 2004; 33(4):396–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Hannon, F, Friel, S, Kelleher, C. General Healthcare Study of the Irish Pnsoner Population. 2000. DublinStationary Office.Google Scholar
23.Allwright, S, Bradley, F, Long, J, Barry, J, Thornton, L, Parry, JV. Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV and risk factors in Irish prisoners: results of a national cross sectional survey. BMJ 2000; 321: 78–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Meltzer, H, Bill, B, Petticrew, M. OPCS Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity in Great Britain, Report I: The Prevalence of Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults living in Private Households in the UK. London: HMSO. 1995.Google Scholar
25.Endicott, J, Spitzer, RL. A diagnostic interview: schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1978; 35:837–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26.Phillips, GT, Gossop, MR, Edwards, G, Sutherland, G, Taylor, C, Strang, G. The application of the SODQ to the severity of opiate dependence in a British sample. Br J Addict 1987; 82: 691–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth Edition, text revision, 2000. American Psychiatric Association, Washington.Google Scholar
28.The ICD-10 classification of Mental Health and Behavioural Disorders. Diagnostic Criteria for Research. 1993. Geneva. World Health Organisation.Google Scholar
29.Curtin, K, Monks, S, Kennedy, HG. The problem of substance abuse and the abuse of problem use. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. In press.Google Scholar
30.National Statistics Board. Developing Irish Social and Equality Statistics to meet Policy Needs. Report of the Steering Group on Scial and Equality Statistics. 2003. Dublin, The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
31.Bromet, EJ, Dew, MA, Eaton, W. Epidemiology of psychosis with special reference to schizophrenia. In: Tsuang, MT, Tohan, M, Zahner, GEP (Eds). Textbook in Psychiatric Epidemiology. 3rd edition. 1995. New York, Wiley-Liss.Google Scholar
32.Tohen, M, Goodwin, FK. Epidemiology of bipolar disorder. In: Tsuang, MT, Tohan, M, Zahner, GEP (Eds). Textbook in Psychiatric Epidemiology. 3rd edition. 1995. New York, Wiley-Liss.Google Scholar
33.Horwath, E, Weissman, MM. Epidemiology of Depression and anxiety disorders. In: Tsuang, MT, Tohan, M, Zahner, GEP (Eds). Textbook in Psychiatric Epidemiology. 3rd edition. 1995. New York, Wiley-Liss.Google Scholar
34.Chiswick, D, Dooley, R. ‘Crime and Mental Disorder’ In: Chiswick, D & Cope, R (eds) Seminars in Practical Forensic Psychiatry. 1995. London, Gaskell.Google Scholar
35.Murray, R, Grech, A, Phillips, P, Johnson, S. What is the relationship between substance abuse and schizophrenia? In: Murray, RM, Jones, PB, Susser, EOs, J van, Cannon, M (Eds) The Epidemiology of Schizophrenia. 2003. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
36.Linehan, S, Duffy, DM, Wright, B, Curtin, K, Monks, S, Kennedy, HG. Psychiatric morbidity in a cross-sectional sample of male remanded prisoners (42% of remanded men in Irish prisons). Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine 2005; 22: 128–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
37.Duffy, D, Linehan, S, Kennedy, H. Psychiatric Bulletin, July 2003. Screening Prisoners for Mental Disorders. Psychiatric Bulettin 2003; 27: 241–242.iss.Google Scholar