Psychiatric morbidity in male remanded and sentenced committals to Irish prisons

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and the treatment needs of new committals to Irish prisons.

Methods: A population survey of 615 prisoners representing 7.9% of male committals to Irish prisons in the year of survey, 313 remands (9.6% of total remand committals) and 302 sentenced committals (6.4% of total sentenced committals). The main outcome measures were ICD-10 diagnoses of mental disorder based on interviews using SADS-L and prison medical records.

Results: Current prevalence rates of any psychotic illness were 3.8% (remand) and 0.3% (sentenced), six month prevalence rate 5.1% (remand) and 2.6% (sentenced) and lifetime rate 9.3% (remand) and 6.6% (sentenced). Schizophrenia and drug/organic psychoses were the most common psychoses. Major depressive disorder had a current prevalence of 4.5% (remand) and 4.6% (sentenced), a six month prevalence of 4.8% (remand) and 6.0% (sentenced), and a lifetime prevalence of 8.6% (remand) and 15.9% (sentenced). Sixty-point-six per cent of the sample had a current substance misuse problem.

Conclusions: There is significant psychiatric morbidity in committal prisoners.