Mental health services for deaf people: a need identified

The unique problems of deaf people suffering from mental health conditions have long been recognised but have received inadequate attention in many parts of the country. In the absence of a specialist psychiatric service for deaf people in Wales a prevalence survey was conducted to estimate the numbers of deaf patients occupying long-stay mental health beds and to assess facilities available to them. A high prevalence of prelingual deafness was found in long-stay psychiatric inpatients, approximating to a relative risk ten times that in the general population. Throughout Wales there are approximately 100 patients with either prelingual or profound postlingual deafness resident in long-stay psychiatric and mental handicap beds. An inadequate provision of specialist support and equipment for all categories of deaf in-patients is demonstrated by the results of this study. Purchasers of mental health services must ensure that an acceptable quality of provision, including both access to a specialist psychiatric service and a supportive in-patient environment, is secured from providers.