Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-94d59 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-18T19:29:58.580Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Psychiatric morbidity among sentenced prisoners: prevalence study in Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

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: assadism@sina.tums.ac.ir
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
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
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Footnotes

Declaration of Interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

References

Agbahowe, S. A., Ohaeri, J. U., Ogunlesi, A. O., et al (1988) Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among convicted inmates in a Nigerian prison community. East African Medical Journal, 75, 1926.Google Scholar
Alterman, A. I., Rutherford, M. J., Cacciola, J. S., et al (1998) Prediction of 7 months methadone maintenance treatment response by four measures of antisociality. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 49, 217223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn) (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Andersen, H. S. (2004) Mental health in prison populations. A review – with special emphasis on a study of Danish prisoners on remand. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 110, 559.Google Scholar
Brink, J. H., Doherty, D. & Boer, A. (2001) Mental disorder in federal offenders: a Canadian prevalence study. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 24, 339356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dolan, M. C. & Anderson, I. M. (2003) The relationship between serotonergic function and the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 17, 216222.Google Scholar
Fazel, S. & Danesh, J. (2002) Serious mental disorder in 23000 prisoners: a systematic review of 62 surveys. Lancet, 359, 545550.Google Scholar
Fazel, S., Hope, T., O'Donnell, I., et al (2001) Hidden psychiatric morbidity in elderly prisoners. British Journal of Psychiatry, 179, 535539.Google Scholar
Fido, A. A. & al-Jabally, M. (1993) Presence of psychiatric morbidity in prison population in Kuwait. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 5, 107110.Google Scholar
First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., et al (1997) User's Guide for the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-I Axis I Disorders – Clinical Version (SCID-CV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Ghubash, R. & El-Rufaie, O. (1997) Psychiatric morbidity among sentenced male prisoners in Dubai: transcultural perspectives. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 8, 440446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, S. D., Cox, D. N. & Hare, R. D. (1995) The Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL: SV). New York: Multi-Health Systems.Google Scholar
Herrman, H., McGorry, P., Mills, J., et al (1991) Hidden severe psychiatric morbidity in sentenced prisoners: an Australian study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 236239.Google Scholar
Hill, C. D., Neumann, C. S. & Rogers, R. (2004) Confirmatory factor analysis of the psychopathy checklist: screening version in offenders with axis I disorders. Psychological Assessment, 16, 9095.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Islamic Republic News Agency (2001) The Check Prisoners. http://www.payvand.com/news/01/nov/084.html.Google Scholar
Maden, T., Swinton, M. & Gunn, J. (1994) Psychiatric disorders in women serving a prison sentence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 4454.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mohammadi, M. R., Davidian, H., Noorbala, A. A., et al (2003) An epidemiological study of psychiatric disorders in Iran, 2001. Hakim Research Journal, 6, 5564.Google Scholar
Mokri, A. (2002) Brief overview of the status of drug abuse in Iran. Archives of Iranian Medicine, 5, 184190.Google Scholar
Noorbala, A. A., Bagheri Yazdi, S. A., Yasamy, M. T., et al (2004) Mental health survey of the adult population in Iran. British Journal of Psychiatry, 184, 7073.Google Scholar
Rasmussen, K., Storsæter, O. & Levander, S. (1999) Personality disorders, psychopathy, and crime in a Norwegian prison population. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 22, 9197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singleton, N., Meltzer, H. & Gatward, R. (1998) Psychiatric Morbidity Among Prisoners in England and Wales. London: Stationery Office.Google Scholar
State Prisons Organisation and Security and Corrective Measures (2004) Ettelaat-e amari-e zendanian-e mojood dar khordad-e 1381 [Statistical data of prisoners in May 2002]. Tehran: http://www.prisons.ir/farsi/reports.php.Google Scholar
Ullrich, S., Paelecke, M., Kahle, I., et al (2003) Categorical and dimensional assessment of ‘psychopathy’ in German offenders. Prevalence, gender differences and age factors [in German]. Der Nervenarzt, 74, 10021008.Google Scholar
Walmsley, R. (2003) Findings 188. World Prison Population List (4th edn). London: Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r188.pdf Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.