Psychiatric disorders and mental health care among incarcerated men: A prerelease cross-sectional study in France. Fovet, T., D'Ovidio, K., Eck, M., Benradia, I., Duhem, S., Lancelevée, C., Thomas, P., Wathelet, M., & Amad, A. European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 68(1):e66, apr, 2025.
doi  abstract   bibtex   
BACKGROUND: The mental health of incarcerated individuals is a widely recognized public health issue, but little is known about the mental health status of the incarcerated individuals upon release. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs) among incarcerated men scheduled to be released from jail soon. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional national survey from September 2020 to September 2022 across 26 jails (selected at random) in France. Each participant was interviewed within 30 days prior to their release via a structured questionnaire, including the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. RESULTS: A total of 579 individuals were included in the analysis (participation rate: 66.2%). The prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychotic episodes were 30.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.1%-34.6%), 28.7% (95% CI: 25.1%-32.5%), 11.1% (95% CI: 8.8%-13.9%), and 10.5% (95% CI: 8.3%-13.3%), respectively. Additionally, almost half of the individuals had an SUD, and dual disorders were identified in 21.9% (95% CI: 18.8%-25.5%) of the cases. The analysis of mental health care pathways raised questions about access to certain types of care, such as full-time psychiatric hospitalization while in prison, as well as questions about the continuity of care upon release. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the mental health of incarcerated men who are scheduled to be released soon is precarious. Complex mental health problems, particularly dual disorders, are common and require better coordination between mental health care systems in prisons and the community.
@article{Fovet2025a,
abstract = {BACKGROUND: The mental health of incarcerated individuals is a widely recognized  public health issue, but little is known about the mental health status of the incarcerated individuals upon release. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs) among incarcerated men scheduled to be released from jail soon. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional national survey from September 2020 to September 2022 across 26 jails (selected at random) in France. Each participant was interviewed within 30 days prior to their release via a structured questionnaire, including the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. RESULTS: A total of 579 individuals were included in the analysis (participation rate: 66.2%). The prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychotic episodes were 30.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.1%-34.6%), 28.7% (95% CI: 25.1%-32.5%), 11.1% (95% CI: 8.8%-13.9%), and 10.5% (95% CI: 8.3%-13.3%), respectively. Additionally, almost half of the individuals had an SUD, and dual disorders were identified in 21.9% (95% CI: 18.8%-25.5%) of the cases. The analysis of mental health care pathways raised questions about access to certain types of care, such as full-time psychiatric hospitalization while in prison, as well as questions about the continuity of care upon release. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the mental health of incarcerated men who are scheduled to be released soon is precarious. Complex mental health problems, particularly dual disorders, are common and require better coordination between mental health care systems in prisons and the community.},
author = {Fovet, Thomas and D'Ovidio, Kevin and Eck, Marion and Benradia, Imane and Duhem, St{\'{e}}phane and Lancelev{\'{e}}e, Camille and Thomas, Pierre and Wathelet, Marielle and Amad, Ali},
doi = {10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.2443},
issn = {1778-3585 (Electronic)},
journal = {European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists},
keywords = {Adult,Anxiety Disorders,Cross-Sectional Studies,France,Humans,Male,Mental Disorders,Mental Health Services,Middle Aged,Prevalence,Prisoners,Substance-Related Disorders,Young Adult,epidemiology,psychology,statistics & numerical data,therapy},
language = {eng},
month = {apr},
number = {1},
pages = {e66},
pmid = {40171610},
title = {{Psychiatric disorders and mental health care among incarcerated men: A prerelease  cross-sectional study in France.}},
volume = {68},
year = {2025}
}

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