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Psychiatric morbidity among sentenced prisoners: prevalence study in Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Seyed Mohammad Assadi ,
Maryam Noroozian ,
Mahdi Pakravannejad ,
Omid Yahyazadeh ,
Shahrokh Aghayan ,
Seyed Vahid Shariat  and
Seena Fazel
Seyed Mohammad Assadi*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Maryam Noroozian
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Mahdi Pakravannejad
Affiliation:
Tehran Institute of Psychiatry, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Omid Yahyazadeh
Affiliation:
Tehran Institute of Psychiatry, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Shahrokh Aghayan
Affiliation:
Tehran Institute of Psychiatry, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Seyed Vahid Shariat
Affiliation:
Tehran Institute of Psychiatry, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Seena Fazel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
*
Dr Seyed Mohammad Assadi, Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, South Kargar Avenue, Tehran 13337, Iran. Tel: +98 21 5541 2222; fax: +98 21 5541 9113; e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Background

Information on psychiatric morbidity of prisoners has almost entirely been based on research in Western countries and it is uncertain whether these research findings are applicable to other settings.

Aims

The primary objective was to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Iranian prisoners.

Method

Through stratified random sampling, 351 prisoners were interviewed using the clinical version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IVAxis I Disorders and the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version.

Results

The majority (88%) of prisoners met DSM – IV criteria for lifetime diagnosis of at least one Axis I disorder and 57% were diagnosed with current Axis I disorders. Opioid dependence (73%) had the highest prevalence among lifetime diagnoses, whereas major depressive disorder (29%) was the most common current diagnosis. Psychopathy was recorded in 23%. Prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders were significantly different among offence categories.

Conclusions

The results suggest that a substantial burden of psychiatric morbidity exists in the prison population of Iran, with treatment challenges that appear to be different from those observed in inmates in Western countries.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 188 , Issue 2 , February 2006 , pp. 159 - 164
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Footnotes

Declaration of Interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

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