The prevalence of psychiatric disorder in a male remand population: A pilot study

Abstract

A pilot study to assess the feasibility of mounting a full-scale prevalence study of the psychiatric morbidity in the male remand inmate population of a single, typical English local prison is described. The study population drew from a 20% sample of males remanded for the first time on current charges and yielded 31 subjects over 3 months (April-June 1991). A semi-structured interview covering self-report of illicit drug use, administration of the CAGE questionnaire for problem drinking, the EPQ, BPRS, global clinical diagnosis and need for treatment was conducted with each consenting subject. Half the subjects gave a history of substance abuse, 45% significant problem drinking and 13% had a personality disorder. All subjects fell within the lower third of the BPRS range and only one was felt to be in need of immediate psychiatric treatment. Practical and methodological problems were few, suggesting that a full-scale study within a prison is feasible, subject to some amendment of design. The results, although not in themselves significant, are interesting and point up the need for further research