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Aims: To determine the lifetime and monthly prevalence of people with mental disorders and its association with sociodemographic factors and criminal risk in three Spanish prisons (Ocaña, Madrid I, II and VI). Method: Cross-sectional epidemiological study of a sample of 184 inmates. Socio-demographic and criminal data were collected by an ad hoc interview. Mental disorders were assessed with the clinical version of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). Results: Life prevalence of mental disorders was 90.2%. The most common mental disorders and substance abuse or dependence was 72.3%, followed by mood disorder (38.5%) and psychotic disorders (34.2%). Moreover, the prevalence of any mental disorder in the last month was 52.2%. The main psychotic disorder (20.7%) was followed by substance abuse or dependence (18.5%), and mood disorder state (13%). A socio-demographic profile as a risk for each disorder was found. Discussion: The prevalence of people with mental disorders is very high in Spanish prisons, and is associated with a distinct demographic profile. It is essential to continue researching this reality, translating the results into therapeutic and preventive action adapted to the status of inmates to reduce social inequalities in this high priority public health situation.

Introduction: The prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in the prison setting has scarcely been studied. Although some approximations or estimates regarding people with intellectual disabilities have been performed in Spain, there is little in the way of reliable data. Objectives: 1) To determine the prevalence of ID in a sample population in the residential modules of a Spanish prison, 2) Obtain data on the prevalence of ID in prison psychiatric units and hospitals. Methods: 1) A TONI II test was performed on a sub-sample (n = 398) of a prevalence study in Spanish prisons33 to identify inmates with intellectual disabilities. 2) We reviewed the reports of the psychiatric department of Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Deu to establish the diagnosis at discharge of patients with a primary diagnosis of intellectual disability 3) Data from the Directorate General of Prisons on the prevalence of ID in Prison Psychiatric Hospitals was reviewed. Results: The data obtained from the TONI II test found 3.77% of the study population has an IQ below 70, and 7.54 % has a borderline IQ rate. Assessment of penitentiary psychiatric hospitalization data showed these figures to be higher. Conclusions: The data from a Spanish prison population showed that ID levels were higher than those in the community, especially amongst prisoners requiring specialized psychiatric care. What is also evident is that adequate resources are required in prisons and in the community to provide better care for people with intellectual disabilities who are in the pathway of the criminal justice system.

La literatura empírica ha constatado una asociación positiva entre el nivel de psicopatía y la presencia de intentos de suicidio. Esta asociación se centra en los aspectos de impulsividad y desinhibición de la psicopatía, mientras que suicidio y pobreza emocional se muestran independientes. Los datos sobre la asociación entre suicidio y psicopatía en personas con enfermedad mental no son concluyentes. Este trabajo explora la relación entre distintas medidas de la personalidad antisocial y la presencia de intentos de suicidio y episodios de autolesión deliberada en una muestra de internos de un Hospital Psiquiátrico Penitenciario. Los resultados apoyan la asociación entre aspectos desinhibidos de personalidad y suicidio también en esta población.Empirical literature has yielded a positive association between psychopathy levels and suicide attempts. This association is centred around impulsivity and disinhibitory facets of psychopathy, whereas suicide and emotional poverty remain independent. Evidence about the relation between suicide and psychopathy in mentally disordered offenders is not conclusive. The present work explores the relation between several measures of antisocial personality, suicide attempt and deliberate self mutilation in a sample of inmates from a forensic psychiatric hospital. Results support the association between disinhibitory aspects of personality and suicide in this population.

La sobreocupación o el hacinamiento de los centros penitenciarios es un problema frecuente que afecta a muchos países. Es difícil definir estos términos ya que no hay un estándar único internacionalmente aceptado. Sin embargo, son situaciones que deben ser combatidas ya que pueden producir alteraciones en el comportamiento de las personas con aumento de las conductas violentas auto y heteroagresivas. Además, tienen otros impactos en la salud y el bienestar de quiénes lo padecen y repercuten también negativamente en la salud pública y en el sistema penitenciario en cuanto pueden aumentar la prevalencia de enfermedades, sobre todo infectocontagiosas y psiquiátricas, pueden dificultar las labores de rehabilitación social y pueden llegar a constituir un trato inhumano, cruel o degradante. En este trabajo se revisa la escasa bibliografía existente sobre la sobreocupación o hacinamiento en el ámbito penitenciario. Aumentar la sensibilización de la Comunidad Internacional y de las Administraciones Penitenciarias y, sobre todo, asignar recursos económicos específicos son elementos básicos para evitar este déficit sociosanitario.Overcrowding in prisons is a common problem that affects many countries. It is difficult to define this term because there is no single internationally accepted standard. However, this is a situation that must be counteracted, because people's behaviour can be affected to the extent that it leads to self-harm or violent behaviour to others. But prison overcrowding also has other effects on the health and well being of the people living in these conditions and may also adversely affect public health and the prison system. It can increase the prevalence of diseases, particularly infectious and psychiatric disorders. It may also hinder the work of social rehabilitation and lead to inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment. This paper reviews the scant literature about overcrowding in prisons. Increasing awareness about the issue in the international community and prison administrations and above all, assigning specific economic resources, are key elements in preventing this deficit in social welfare and health care.

Objetivo: Se pretende estudiar la prevalencia de TMG (trastorno mental grave) en los internos recluidos en las tres prisiones de Cádiz (España) que solicitaron asistencia psiquiátrica. Material y método: Estudio transversal que analiza la demanda asistencial psiquiátrica en los centros penitenciarios de Puerto I, II y III del Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz) durante un año. Resultados: Se estudian 128 pacientes. Los diagnósticos psiquiátricos más prevalentes fueron los trastornos de personalidad (F60-69) (35.2%), el grupo de esquizofrenia, trastorno esquizotípico y trastorno de ideas delirantes (F20-29) (25.8%) y los trastornos mentales y del comportamiento debidos al consumo de sustancias psicótropas (F10-19) (16.4%). El 46.1% corresponden a trastornos mentales graves (TMG). Discusión: Se confirma que hay una alta prevalencia de TMG en los presos de Cádiz, por lo que se precisa una elevada asignación de recursos para atender este grupo de enfermedades.Introduction: In recent years it has been observed that there is a high level of severe mental disorder within the Spanish prison system. Methods and Materials: A one year descriptive and transversal study of the psychiatric health care demand in the prisons Puerto I, II and III of Puerto de Santa Maria (Cadiz). Results: Of the 128 patients studied, the psychiatric diagnostics with highest prevalence were personality disorders (F60-69) at 35.16%, the next group was psychosis (F20-29) at 25.78%, and in third place mental and behaviour disorders due to use of psychotropic substances (F10-19) at 16.41%. 46.09% suffered conditions which are categorised as severe mental disorders. Discussion: This study confirms the high levels of severe mental disorder in prisons located in the area of the Puerto Real Hospital. We are making efforts to improve on psychiatric health care provided to these patients by working closely with the Prison system.

Introducción: Se ha revisado la literatura científica sobre estrategias de atención a los problemas de salud mental en el medio penitenciario. Se aportan datos de las principales actuaciones puestas en práctica por las administraciones penitenciarias para responder a las preocupantes cifras que señalan los más recientes estudios epidemiológicos de trastornos mentales en prisión, con tasas que comparadas con la población general, duplican los Trastornos Mentales Comunes (TMC) y cuadriplican los Trastornos Mentales Graves (TMG) entre las personas que se encuentran en prisión. Material y métodos: Se han revisado las bases de datos bibliográficas más importantes sobre las políticas asistenciales a los problemas de salud mental en el medio penitenciario, que han sido publicadas por los responsables de las administraciones penitenciarias en los últimos 10 años. Estos datos se han completado con datos obtenidos con el análisis de los indicadores disponibles en la Coordinación de Sanidad sobre las estrategias propias en materia de asistencia a problemas de salud mental en centros dependientes de la Secretaría General de Instituciones Penitenciarias, en España. Resultados: Hay poca literatura científica donde se enuncien las políticas asistenciales de las diferentes administraciones sobre la asistencia a problemas de salud mental en el medio penitenciario. Las que lo hacen están de acuerdo en una serie de afirmaciones: se debe ofrecer una respuesta terapéutica de igual calidad a la recibida por los enfermos en la comunidad, debe ser un equipo multidisciplinar el encargado de atender a este tipo de pacientes, es preciso un esfuerzo de coordinación entre las administraciones que en un momento determinado deben atender a estos pacientes, la asistencial, la social, la judicial y la penitenciaria.Introduction: A review was carried out of scientific literature on health care strategies for mental health problems in the prison environment. Data is given about the main activities put into practice by prison administrations as a response to the worrying information that has come to light in recent epidemiological studies on mental disorders in prison, with figures that, when compared to the general population, give results of double the number of cases of Common Mental Illness (CMI) and four times the number of cases of Severe Mental Illness (SMI) amongst prison inmates. Materials and methods: A review was made of the most important bibliographical databases containing health care policies for mental health problems in prison published by prison administrations in the last 10 years. This information was completed with other data obtained from an analysis of the indicators available in Health Care Coordination on its health care strategies for mental health in centres run by the Secretary General of Prisons, in Spain. Results: There is little in the way of scientific literature that clearly states health care policies for mental illness in the prison environment. Those that do tend to agree with a number of affirmations that include the obligation to offer a therapeutic response of equal quality to that received by patients in the community, the need for a multi-disciplinary team responsible for caring for this type of patient, along with a coordinated effort between the medical, social, legal and prison administrations that at a given time have to care for them.

Introducción: Estudios epidemiológicos recientes destacan el aumento de prevalencia de trastornos psiquiátricos en presos. El objetivo del presente estudio es determinar los trastornos psiquiátricos principales y secundarios más prevalentes, datos sociodemográficos y estancia media, de los pacientes ingresados en el Módulo Penitenciario de un hospital general a cargo del Servicio de Psiquiatría. Material y método: Estudio descriptivo transversal retrospectivo. La muestra está compuesta por los pacientes ingresados en el Módulo Penitenciario a cargo de Psiquiatría durante 5 años, siendo n=136. Resultados: El 90,4% fueron hombres y el 9,6% mujeres. La edad media fue de 34,18 años. Los diagnósticos psiquiátricos principales más prevalentes fueron: Tr. Personalidad 22%, Tr. Esquizofrénicos 16,3%. Como diagnósticos psiquiátricos secundarios más prevalentes encontramos: Tr. Personalidad 11,9%, Abuso de drogas 10,7%. Conclusiones: El diagnóstico psiquiátrico principal y secundario más prevalente fue el trastorno de personalidad. Se documentó la existencia de una alta comorbilidad con el abuso-dependencia de tóxicos. Actualmente las prisiones carecen de equipos multidisciplinares en Salud Mental, con lo que en muchas ocasiones se hace necesario el traslado del preso al hospital con la carga asistencial y el incremento de costes que esto supone.Introduction: recent epidemiological studies highlight an increase in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders amongst prison inmates. The objective of this study to determine the most prevalent primary and secondary psychiatric disorders, socio-demographic data and average stay period amongst patients admitted to the Prison Unit of a general hospital as charges of the Psychiatric Service. Materials and Methods: retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study. The sample group consisted of a number of patients admitted into the Prison Unit as charges of the Psychiatric Service during a five year period (n=136). Results: 90,4% were men and 9,6% were women. The average age was 34,18 years. The most prevalent primary psychiatric diagnoses were: Personality Disorder 22%, and Schizophrenic Disorder 16,3%. The most prevalent secondary psychiatric diagnoses were: Personality Disorder 11,9%, Substance Abuse 10,7%. Conclusions: the most prevalent primary and secondary psychiatric diagnosis was personality disorder. The existence of a high level of comorbidity of substance abuse-dependence was recorded. Prisons currently lack Mental Health multidisciplinary teams. This often means that the inmate must be transferred to a hospital with the increased work load and financial cost that this implies.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Involuntary outpatient treatment (IOT) is a kind of compulsory outpatient treatment, whose aim is to improve the adherence to the treatment in people with severe mental illness and with no awareness of disease. In these cases, therapeutic abandonment involves a high risk of relapse, with appearance of disruptive and/or self-aggressive or hetero-aggressive behavior, repeated hospitalizations and frequent emergencies. The application of IOT is not an issue without contention. Therefore, the need of legislative regulation in Spain has been a controversial subject for several years, and there are both advocates and opponents. Objective: The objective of this study is to bring together the opinion of clinical psychiatrists and resident doctors in psychiatry on the involuntary outpatient treatment and its legislative regulation. Material and method: This study is descriptive in nature. The study population consists of 42 clinical professionals in mental health (32 psychiatrists and 10 resident doctors in psychiatry). At the beginning of this study (March 2018), some of these professionals were working in the Psychiatry Department’s facilities of the University Hospital Complex of Huelva. A personal survey in paper form consisting of ten questions about IOT was carried out to each member of this study. Results: 85.7% of clinicians know the current initiative that tries to carry out the legislative regulation of IOT, and 92.8% of them agree to such regulation. In this sense, 83.3% of them are against the fact that more coercive measures for the psychiatric patients such as the involuntary commitment or the civil incapacitation are regulated and IOT is not. On the one hand, 78.6% of the professionals in mental health believe that IOT is beneficial for the patients. Moreover, 95.2% of them think that is beneficial for their relatives, too. On the other hand, 78.6% of clinicians do not consider that the application of IOT to mentallyill patients is stigmatizing. Conclusion: The vast majority of clinicians think that the legislative regulation of involuntary outpatient treatment is necessary in Spain, and they think this treatment is beneficial not only for the patient but also for their family.