(Press-News.org) Offenders with mental health problems need improved and on-going access to health care, according to the first study to systematically examine healthcare received by offenders across the criminal justice system.
A new report from Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth University, and the Centre for Mental Health, suggests that prison and community sentences offer the best opportunities to provide this. If improvements to mental health are to contribute to breaking the cycle of repeat offending, unemployment and ill-health, advantage should be taken of the new commissioning opportunities to develop innovative healthcare solutions.
The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research (NIHR HS&DR) programme with support from the NIHR Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (PenCLAHRC).
The COCOA (Care for Offenders: Continuity of Access) research study shows that support for offenders with mental health problems falls substantially short of the treatment available for those with addictions. Offenders reported low levels of health care contact for common mental health problems and comparatively high levels of contact with specialist drug services, particularly those using heroin. Analysis of the interview data also showed that offenders contributed to low take-up of care by not always understanding how accessing healthcare could support their housing, employment and relationship goals.
Researchers interviewed 200 offenders, passing through police stations, courts, prison and the probation service, to document both their health needs and the care provided. It also examined two whole system, and six best practice, organisational case studies in order to incorporate the practitioner perspective. The most successful of the initiatives studied allowed offenders to get support that they saw as relevant to their own situation; they also created strong links, between the health and criminal justice systems, as well as across the prison/community divide.
The report concludes that liaison and diversion services, now being developed across England will need to provide a degree of on-going care and not just simply divert people to existing, hard pressed, specialist mental health services.
Dr Richard Byng, GP and Clinical Senior Lecturer at Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth University, said: "We know that access to, and continuity of, health care for offenders is poor. Many do not trust public services or do not want to admit to having a mental health problem."
"It is not enough simply to divert individuals with mental health needs to mental health services. We need to work with offenders under prison or probation supervision to help them to take steps to improve their health alongside support for housing, employment and relationship needs."
Centre for Mental Health Chief Executive Sean Duggan said: "Most prisoners, and many people on the probation caseload, have a mental health condition. It is important that these people are able to get access to mental health support as part and parcel of help with their most urgent needs. This should include equal access to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services for offenders."
### END
Offenders need integrated, on-going, mental health care
2012-06-25
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Learn that tune while fast asleep
2012-06-25
EVANSTON, Ill. – Want to nail that tune that you've practiced and practiced? Maybe you should take a nap with the same melody playing during your sleep, new provocative Northwestern University research suggests.
The research grows out of exciting existing evidence that suggests that memories can be reactivated during sleep and storage of them can be strengthened in the process.
In the Northwestern study, research participants learned how to play two artificially generated musical tunes with well-timed key presses. Then while the participants took a 90-minute nap, the ...
Type 2 diabetes cured by weight loss surgery returns in one-fifth of patients
2012-06-25
A new study shows that although gastric bypass surgery reverses Type 2 diabetes in a large percentage of obese patients, the disease recurs in about 21 percent of them within three to five years. The study results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.
"The recurrence rate was mainly influenced by a longstanding history of Type 2 diabetes before the surgery," said the study's lead author, Yessica Ramos, MD, an internal medicine resident at Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale. "This suggests that early surgical intervention ...
Study identifies causes for high rates of allergic reactions in children with food allergies
2012-06-25
A team of researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and four other institutions have found that young children with documented or likely allergies to milk and/or eggs, whose families were instructed on how to avoid these and other foods, still experienced allergic reactions at a rate of almost once per year. Of severe cases, less than a third received epinephrine, a medication used to counter anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic condition.
The findings are from an ongoing Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) study that has been following more than 500 ...
Mount Sinai researcher finds timing of ADHD medication affect academic progress
2012-06-25
A team of researchers led by an epidemiologist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and University of Iceland has found a correlation between the age at which children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) begin taking medication, and how well they perform on standardized tests, particularly in math.
The study, titled, "A Population-Based Study of Stimulant Drug Treatment of ADHD and Academic Progress in Children," appears in the July, 2012, edition of Pediatrics, and can be viewed online on June 25. Using data from the Icelandic Medicines Registry and the ...
Study identifies factors related to violence in veterans
2012-06-25
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A national survey identifies which U.S. military veterans may be at most risk of aggression after deployment and what strategies could potentially help reduce likelihood of violence when service members return home.
The study examined protective factors that are important in preventing violence, including employment, meeting basic needs, living stability, social support, spiritual faith, ability to care for oneself, perceived self-determination, and resilience (ability to adapt to stress). Veterans with these factors in place were 92 percent less ...
Severe reactions to food more common than thought in young children
2012-06-25
VIDEO:
National Jewish Health registered nurse Emily Cole explains how to use an EpiPen, a potentially lifesaving medication for children and adults suffering a severe allergic reaction.
Click here for more information.
Young children with allergies to milk and egg experience an unexpectedly high number of reactions to these and other foods, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. More than 70 percent of preschool children with documented or suspected food allergies ...
Exercise, even mild physical activity, may reduce breast cancer risk
2012-06-25
A new analysis done by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers has found that physical activity – either mild or intense and before or after menopause – may reduce breast cancer risk, but substantial weight gain may negate these benefits.
Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings indicate that women can reduce their breast cancer risk by exercising and maintaining their weight.
While studies have shown that physical activity reduces breast cancer risk, many questions remain. For example, how ...
Remapping gang turf: Math model shows crimes cluster on borders between rivals
2012-06-25
A mathematical model that has been used for more than 80 years to determine the hunting range of animals in the wild holds promise for mapping the territories of street gangs, a UCLA-led team of social scientists reports in a new study.
"The way gangs break up their neighborhoods into unique territories is a lot like the way lions or honey bees break up space," said lead author P. Jeffrey Brantingham, a professor of anthropology at UCLA.
Further, the research demonstrates that the most dangerous place to be in a neighborhood packed with gangs is not deep within ...
Second Annual REI Expo Great Success
2012-06-25
There is considerable buzz surrounding real estate investing across the country. There seems to be mysticism surrounding the industry to those who know little about it. Late night television programs promise massive wealth if you "call now" and order someone's DVD set. There are reality shows, magazines, radio shows, websites, blogs and any other form of media you can think up devoted to real estate investing. You want the inside scoop, but where do you get it? The answer is simple, from the people that do it all the time. Last weekend those people assembled in ...
CFOD Health Media Recommends 3 Type of Exercises for Neck Pain Sufferer
2012-06-25
Poor posture is one of the most common causes of pain and stiffness in the neck. However, nerve entrapment, muscle sprain, injury or neck arthritis are other contributory factors for strained neck muscles. You might not realize how many times during a day you might be slouching or sitting in wrong postures. If your work involves sitting in front of the computer for long stretches, you might suffer from chronic pain due to strain and overuse of neck muscles. If you often suffer from pain, you must correct your posture and keep your neck muscles relaxed. You can also perform ...