Something MUST be done
An abstract from a new study published by the American Psychiatric Assn.:
Treatment Prospects for Persons With Severe Mental Illness in an Urban County Jail H. Richard Lamb, M.D., Linda E. Weinberger, Ph.D., Jeffrey S. Marsh, M.D. and Bruce H. Gross, J.D., Ph.D.OBJECTIVE: A retrospective study of inmates with severe mental illness in a large, urban county jail aimed to obtain information about their psychiatric and criminal histories and status, the psychiatric services they used while incarcerated, and the challenges they might present in psychiatric treatment after release. METHODS: The authors ascertained demographic characteristics, diagnoses, psychiatric and legal histories, and current psychiatric condition and treatment from jail psychiatric records of a random sample of 104 male inmates with mental illness and from electronic county mental health records and state records of criminal histories. RESULTS: Seventy-eight inmates (75%) were diagnosed as having a severe mental illness. Of these, 59 (76%) required inpatient care or its equivalent for part of their time in jail for the current offense. Of the inmates with severe mental illness, 92% had a history of nonadherence to medications before this arrest, 95% had prior arrests, 72% had prior arrests for violent crimes against persons, and 76% were known to have a history of substance abuse. CONCLUSIONS: A large percentage of persons with severe mental illness received their acute psychiatric inpatient treatment in the criminal justice system rather than in the mental health system. The persons with severe mental illness in this study would present a major challenge in treatment in any setting given their psychiatric and criminal histories. The resources of the mental health system need to be greatly expanded, with priority given to treating persons who are criminalized or who are in danger of becoming criminalized.
I'm so tired of seeing mentally ill people going to jail. It's awful.
Comments
And then sadly, too little is done in the community from whence inmates come and will subsequently return. For example, another article from this month's issue of the APA's Psychiatric Services considers the treatment of those who might also be considered a priority population, i.e. persons discharged from intensive settings,
"Quality of Care in a Medicaid Population With Bipolar I Disorder" (excerpted from the abstract)
OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether presenting diagnosis and treatment in intensive settings (hospitalization, partial hospitalization, or residential programs) are correlated with the subsequent treatment of bipolar I disorder.
RESULTS: Only one-third of enrollees received both guideline-recommended treatments after the first observed bipolar diagnosis. Patients were less likely to receive both recommended treatments if the first observed mental health service occurred in an intensive setting. Enrollees presenting with a bipolar diagnosis were less likely to receive psychotherapy, whereas rates of antimanic medication use were similar to those with other presenting diagnoses.
http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/ps;58/6/848
Posted by: Joe | May 30, 2007 10:49 AM
"I'm so tired of seeing mentally ill people going to jail."
I thought criminals went to jail after being found guilty.
Innocent mentally ill people are going to jail for being mentally ill?
Posted by: Mark(p.s.2) | May 30, 2007 02:58 PM