Mental health articles

Mental Health Treatment in Prisons Caring for the mental health of prisoners
In general, prisons are harsh places, where discipline and routine are the essence of daily life. After all, they are places to which people are sent as punishment. It may be difficult to be sympathetic to someone who, for example, may have hurt another person very badly. Health workers, however,
must consciously avoid making judgements such as whether a person is guilty or not guilty, good or bad. One useful skill is that of “empathy”, which means the ability to put yourself in the other person’s situation and try to feel the way he does. You will find that many crimes are committed by
people who feel they have no options left in their lives – perhaps they have been pushed into a corner by poverty. This, of course, does not justify the crime, but it can help you understand the prisoner as a vulnerable human being.
You can help improve the mental health of prisoners by:
• Individual counselling. The key elements are:
• Listen: allow the prisoner to share feelings and use this discussion to assess whether he is suffering from a psychotic illness.
• Discuss practical needs: for example, a prisoner may be desperate to meet his family and this may be making him very unhappy. Simply arranging a family visit may do wonders for his
mental health.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Peer support. Prison health workers often get to know which prisoners are reliable, sympathetic and have the skills needed to help others. You can use such people to act
as counsellors or friends to support other prisoners in need of help.
• Groups. Suggest to the prison authorities the need for group
meetings of prisoners where common concerns can be discussed.
• Treatment for specific mental illnesses. Specific symptoms are likely to include:
• withdrawal reactions from alcohol or drugs;
• violent or agitated or confused behaviour;
• suicidal behaviour or thoughts.

 

Related articles

• The mental health of prisoners
• Mental health crisis part 2: Jails strained by rising costs and psychiatric needs

Tags: Health, mental, Mental health, prisons, treatment