Mental Illness in Prisons

Alex, Anna
Objectives
● Students will be able to write basic facts from recall about each of the three top
mental illnesses faced in prison.

● Students will be able to distinguish the top three mental illnesses inmates
struggle with in prison

● Students will be able to identify basic facts about

with mental illness
Schizophrenia

● Serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.

Individuals with this condition can suffer from hallucinations, delusions, and
extremely disordered thinking that impairs their daily functioning.
● 5% of inmates with a mental illness suffer from some level of schizophrenia
● Individuals who suffer from this mental illness in prison are offered
medications, but often they will take the inmates off of it.
Bipolar
● There are three levels:
● A mental condition marked by alternating periods of elation and depression.

o Bipolar 1- or “manic depression”, one manic episode in his or her life, most people who suffer
from this also suffer from episodes of depression

o Bipolar 2- characterized by cycles of depressive episodes followed by hypomanic periods.

Hypomania is a period of mood and behavior that is elevated above normal behavior.

o Cyclothymic disorder- mood disorder that causes emotional highs and lows, aren’t as extreme
as those in people with bipolar disorders. People with cyclothymia can typically function in daily
life, though it may be difficult.
Depression
● Depression
○ Symptoms can include feelings of severe despondency and dejection.
○ Causes can from from biological, psychological, and social sources of
distress.
○ Can cause a change in brain function, including altered activity or certain
neural circuits in the brain.
○ 18.6 percent suffer from depression.
○ Individual therapy is popular for depression.
NAMI
● NAMI- National Alliance against Mental Illness

● NAMI believes that everyone should have access to a full array of mental health
services and supports in their communities to help prevent interactions with
police.

● These supports should include treatment for drug and alcohol use conditions,
and supports like housing, education, supported employment and peer and
family support.
Treatments and Resources
● Medication
- Prochlorperazine- Schizophrenia
- Amitriptyline- Depression
- Risperidone- Bipolar
● Group Therapy
- A group of inmates will meet in a group with a therapist and discuss their
problems together
● Individual Therapy
- This is a very popular option, however in prison opportunities like these are not
offered often
Fast Facts
- In 44 states, a jail or prison holds more mentally ill individuals than the largest remaining
state psychiatric hospital;
- 25% of people arrested and in the criminal justice system have serious mental illnesses
- More than 2 million people with serious mental illnesses are arrested annually
- Over 550,000 people with serious mental illness are in jail on any given day
- In 2017, incarcerating people with serious mental illness cost the US Government $80
billion and the states $71 billion
- People with mental illness are 9 times more likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized
- People with mental illness stay four to eight times longer in jail than someone without
a mental illness for the exact same charge
- 40% of people with serious mental illness will come into contact with the criminal
justice system at some point in their lives
Kahoot
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