Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Schizophrenia in Incarcerated Individuals in the United States - Paper Example

Introduction

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Schizophrenia has been for the longest time lacking on the list of major diseases affecting the American society. There still requires early diagnosis and treatment of the condition for incarcerated individuals within the American prisons. The condition affects up to one percent of the American public which is more than three time of those who are suffering from the Parkinsons disease in the states. The disease is often visible during adolescence and early adulthood and therefore takes away many useful years for the individual than other conditions like HIV and leukemia. The condition also leads to premature death with those experiencing it dying twelve years younger than other Americans do. Economic experts express that schizophrenia costs the United States more than six billion dollars every year.

The American Society has the responsibility of paying for the assistance their loved ones get when affected by schizophrenia and they will have to pay for what happens when the services they seek do not work out. Of the total population of individuals, suffering from the condition up to forty percent will end up in hospitals, nursing homes, or group housing. Six percent of the total population of those suffering from the condition, end up in prisons and jails for various forms of crimes while a similar number often ends up on the streets. There is the lack of early diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia among incarcerated individuals in the United States. In most instances, the correction facilities lack the appropriate resources for diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

Prisons often take in inmates without the knowledge of the experiencing schizophrenia. Therefore, these individuals will suffer from their illness without any significant help from the correction system. Their symptoms may be viewed as violence or a reaction to their incarceration. Most of the times these instances are expected to toughen it out, and the result is that their condition does not improve. A condition like schizophrenia when advanced may lead to consequences like suicide, which indicates the urgent need for early diagnosis and treatment for those who are incarcerated.

Research questions

What is the prevalence of schizophrenia among incarcerated individuals in America?

What are the effects of lack of early diagnosis and treatment for the incarcerated?

Are there ways that prisons may use to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia?

Background and discussion

The problem of schizophrenia in correctional facilities remains wanting. It had persisted for the longest time with its origin being the 1970s when the American government made the decision to close down state-run mental health facilities. The community mental health care act recommended that the funds that were previously present in the facilities would go to communities that would care for those experiencing significant health conditions like schizophrenia. There was, however, no transfer of funds and therefore these societies experienced the burden of caring for individuals who have schizophrenia.

The effect was that many people who have schizophrenia found themselves in correction facilities around the United States. It only means that it gets worse for those who have schizophrenia. Within the correction facilities, there is the lack of intensified diagnosis and treatment of the condition, which means that many of those who are affected will suffer without any help. Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit symptoms that sometimes may involve violence and for one who is incarcerated it will mean solitary confinement. Due to lack of training and knowledge, concerning schizophrenia especially in the prisons, isolation is mainly used as a form of protection for those affected. It is, however, the worst treatment for an individual who is experiencing schizophrenia because they are confined within four walls and lack the ability to move and be free. They often experience delusions and hallucinations, which can develop by being in small spaces. In some instances, the prison personnel may not understand that the individual is experiencing schizophrenia. It is because many of them go into the correction without being diagnosed adequately and thus lack treatment opportunities. It is, therefore, evident that there is the absence of early diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia for the incarcerated.

Annotated Bibliography

Bewley, M., & Morgan, R. (2011). A National Survey of Mental Health Services Available to Offenders with Mental Illness: Who Is Doing What? Law and Human Behavior, 35(5), 351-363.

The study looks at various psychotherapy services for male offenders affected by mental illness. The study involved two hundred and thirty mental health providers who were operating in one hundred and sixty-five correctional facilities around the United States. These professionals avail various treatment opportunities that can be conceptualized into six goals including management of emotions, recovery from mental illness, functioning in institutions, re-entry, risk-need and the personal growth of these individuals.

Desmond, B., & Lenz, P. (2010). Mental Health Courts: An Effective Way for Treating Offenders with Serious Mental Illness. Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter, 34(4), 525-530.

The study identifies that there is a high prevalence of individuals who are mentally ill in state prisons than in mental health facilities in America. The incarcerated have a great representation of the mentally ill in the criminal justice system. The mental illness may be classified differently among the prisoners, but the study identifies that the prevalence is three to four times higher in prisons than the public. The authors also indicate that the number among the incarcerated continues to increase in the correction facilities. The study identifies that ninety-three thousand are in prisons, forty-four thousand are among those in jails while up to three hundred and twenty individuals are under correction supervision within the community.

Fazel, S., Hayes, A. J., Bartellas, K., Clerici, M., & Trestman, R. (2016). Mental health of prisoners: prevalence, adverse outcomes, and interventions. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(9), 871-881.

The study identifies that there are more than ten million people who are incarcerated around the world and that the prevalence of mental health issues in prisons is higher than that of the mental health facilities. The study also identifies that though prison systems make an effort to deal with the cases of mental illness, there is still need for improved diagnosis and treatment of the various mental conditions. The authors also indicate that those incarcerated are often at the risk of different issues including self-harm, victimization, suicide, and violence. The study goes further to identify treatment options for the incarcerated and which can work best.

Fields, G., & Phillips, E. E. (2013). The new asylums: jails swell with mentally ill. Wall Street Journal, 25.

The study looks at the issue of mental illness in prisons and how these institutions have become the holding facilities on asylums for individuals with severe conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar. The study identifies that the close of numerous mental institutions in the early 1970s in the United States meant that there were only a few options for those experiencing mental health conditions. The individuals who were affected by these illnesses would end up on the streets where they were vulnerable to drug use, crime, or joblessness. The study identifies that the three biggest correction facilities in the United States; Cook County, Los Angeles County and New York City were leading with the highest number of mental health cases which were up to eleven thousand. It was in comparison to the three largest state mental health facilities which had a maximum capacity of four thousand beds. The study gives a clear indication of the issue of mental illness among the incarcerated and why it is urgent.

Lynch, S. M., DeHart, D. D., Belknap, J. E., Green, B. L., Dass-Brailsford, P., Johnson, K. A., & Whalley, E. (2014). A multisite study of the prevalence of serious mental illness, PTSD, and substance use disorders of women in jail. Psychiatric Services, 65(5), 670-674.

Lynch et al. (2014) look at the issue of mental illness among women who are incarcerated in American jails and prisons. The main aim of the study was to answer the question of various major health conditions including PTSD, schizophrenia, the major depressive disorder and bipolar. It looks at the prevalence of these conditions among women in prisons and the impairment that comes with the severe mental conditions among the women. The study is among women from various correction facilities from different states including the metropolitan area of Washington, Colorado, South Carolina, and Idaho. The study identifies that the prevalence of severe mental illnesses among women is high in America jails and therefore calls for the need for intensive assessment of these conditions. The evaluation and diagnosis, as the study suggest, need to be as the women enter into the criminal justice system. Therefore, there is the identification of the treatment requirements of these women as they get into the various jails and prisons.

Morgan, R., Fisher, W., Duan, N., Mandracchia, J., & Murray, D. (2010). Prevalence of Criminal Thinking among State Prison Inmates with Serious Mental Illness. Law and Human Behavior, 34(4), 324-336.

The study looks at the prevalence of criminal thinking among individuals with mental illness. It involves two hundred and sixty-five male and one hundred and forty-nine women who are incarcerated in the various United States correction facilities. The study identified that up to ninety percent of these individuals were diagnosed with mental conditions that were serious including schizophrenia. However, their scores on various psychological tools including PICTS and CSS-M on criminal thinking were similar to those who were non-mentally ill offenders. The study, therefore, focuses on the need for treatment of other mental issues that co-occur with the severe mental conditions.

Prins, S. J. (2014). Prevalence of mental illnesses in US state prisons: a systematic review. Psychiatric Services, 65(7), 862-872.

Prins (2014) looks at the prevalence of mental illness among the incarcerated in American prisons and jails. The author notes two previous federal reports from the years 1999 and 2006, which are often the mainly cited sources for the rates of mental illness among the incarcerated. The study, however, takes a broader look at the issue through the incorporation of twenty-eight studies that took place between 1989 and 2013 to ensure that the reader gets a clear understanding of the prevalence of the issue in American jails and prisons. The author identifies that there is a high number of people suffering from major mental issues like schizophrenia in prisons and jails. The study also determines that these individuals often experience other health problems as a result of the mental conditions they are suffering from, and they often experience immense difficulty after they are released. The study aims at identifying the most appropriate measures for treatment and management of the mental conditions among the incarcerated.

Reingle Gonzalez, J. M., & Connell, N. M. (2014). Mental health of prisoners: Identifying barriers to mental health treatment and medication continuity. American journal of public health, 104(12), 2328-2333.

The study takes a...