Friday, January 7, 2011

ADHD and Prisoners

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006:
More than half of inmates in prisons and jails
suffer from mental illness.
A recent study of 315 male inmates at the Norrtalje prison in Sweden discovered that as many as 40 percent suffered from undiagnosed and untreated ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). All participants with the disorder had struggled with drugs. Other psychiatric illnesses common to the group included autism and personality disorders.

Psychiatrist Yiva Ginsberg, doctoral student in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience said, "Given the threat that untreated ADHD poses to the individual and the community, it's imperative that the prison and probations services learn more about the condition."

See the entire article: High Rate of Untreated ADHD in Swedish Prisons by Traci Pedersen, Associate News Editor Psych Central.

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Read more about offenders and mental illness in my new book:

The Women of Block: Voices from a Jail Ministry.
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1 comment:

  1. My son-in-law is horrible when he's not taking his ADHD meds. And having untreated Autism....that is horrible. I am sure the stats are about as bad here as there.

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