Primary Psychoses Among Sentenced Prisoners in Finland.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychiatry
• Mental Health Research
• Correctional Healthcare

Background:

• Studies indicate a rising prevalence of primary psychotic disorders in Finnish prisons.
• High-quality data is essential for early identification and intervention in correctional settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the lifetime prevalence and comorbidities of primary psychotic disorders among Finnish prisoners.
• To investigate associations between these disorders and factors like sex, solitary confinement, and imprisonment duration.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 295 sentenced prisoners in the 2023 Health and Wellbeing of Prisoners study.
• Employed Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID I and II) for diagnoses.
• Analyzed offending and imprisonment history, including solitary confinement, using logistic regression.

Main Results:

• 8% of participants had a lifetime primary psychotic disorder; 34% had substance-induced psychosis.
• Women were over five times more likely to have a primary psychotic disorder than men.
• Primary psychosis was linked to significantly higher rates of solitary confinement for those with and requesting it.

Conclusions:

• Lifetime primary psychotic disorders in Finnish prisons rose from 6% (2017) to 8% (2023), a 33% increase.
• Higher prevalence in women and increased solitary confinement use among those with psychosis are concerning findings.
• A low rate of forensic mental health examinations suggests a critical need to improve healthcare access for prisoners.