(Apr. 12, 2018) Mental health providers are less enthusiastic about interactions with criminal-justice involved individuals with serious mental illness and have a general lower regard for such individuals than other clients, according to new preliminary research.
Because people with serious mental illness interact with the criminal-justice system at much higher rates than other individuals, methods for meaningful engagement are important to reduce negative health outcomes. As Sachini Bandara and authors state, "After release from correctional supervision, people with and without serious mental illness are at elevated risk of poor health outcomes, including poorly controlled behavioral and somatic conditions, drug overdose, and premature mortality."
Sachini and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University conducted a survey of 627 psychiatric rehabilitation providers in Maryland, including social workers, case managers and counselors who interact with individuals with serious mental illness as part of their work. The findings of the survey were enlightening in regards to the perceived purpose working with criminal-justice involved clients and the providers' respect towards these individuals.
Survey findings
Almost 80% of survey respondents felt that working with individuals with serious mental illness who were involved in the criminal justice system was a good use of their organization's resources. More than 85% of providers felt comfortable working with these individuals and only one third of the survey respondents felt it was more challenging or emotionally exhausting than their other clients.
Although in general providers had a high regard for individuals with serious mental illness, they reported lower regard for criminal-justice involved indicators on six out of seven items in the scale, including respecting the client, finding them interesting and whether the individual is a person who makes them feel glad to work in psychiatric rehabilitation.
"Engaging people with serious mental illness in evidence-based health care and social services in the community following release from jail or prison is a public health priority," according to the authors. More than one in four individuals with serious mental illness are arrested during their lifetime, compared to one in six individuals without serious mental illness.
The authors argue that future research is needed to understand how providers' negative attitudes affect service delivery and if they result in suboptimal quality of care. Indeed, it would be worth knowing whether those seriously ill individuals that have been criminalized are receiving less care, and to document that disparity.
Elizabeth Sinclair
Director of Research
References:
- Bandara, S. N. et al. (April 2018). Mental health providers' attitudes about criminal-justice involved clients with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Services.