Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders among Teenage Offenders

There has been a significant number of adolescents admitted to National Youth Service of Chile (SENAME) detention centers in recent years, specifically since the promulgation of a law reform on juveniles' penal responsibility for people aged 14 to 18 years (2006).

To determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in adolescent male offenders aged between 14 and 17 years.

The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Kids and Adolescents (MINI-KID) was applied to 489 adolescents admitted to detention centers, to determine the presence of psychiatric disorders. (Hypo) maniac episodes, eating disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, tic disorders, and psychotic disorders were excluded. Furthermore, for purposes of analysis, 23 cases that used a substance of abuse or had signs of consumption the day of the interview were excluded.

Eighty six percent of respondents had at least one psychiatric disorder. 

• The most common were substance use disorders (76%). 
• Among these, marijuana dependence disorder had the higher frequency (51%). 
• Disruptive behavior disorders had also a high prevalence (38%), 
• followed by anxiety disorders (27%), 
• attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (26%), 
• and affective disorders (21%).

There is a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among teenage offenders which could undermine rehabilitation.

Via:  http://ht.ly/SsoRe 

See also: Prevalencia de trastornos psiquiátricos en adolescentes infractores de ley en Chile at:  http://ht.ly/SsoQ3 

By: Gaete J, Labbé N, Del Villar P, Allende C, Valenzuela E.

Borderline Personality Disorder: Prevalence & Psychiatric Comorbidity among Male Offenders on Probation in Sweden

INTRODUCTION:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severely disabling condition, associated with substantially increased risk of deliberate self-harm and, particularly in men, also with interpersonal violence and other criminal behavior. Although BPD might be common among prison inmates, little is known about prevalence and psychiatric comorbidity in probationers and parolees.

RESULTS:

We ascertained a final DSM-5 BPD prevalence rate of 19.8%. The most common current comorbid disorders among subjects with BPD were antisocial personality disorder (91%), major depressive disorder (82%), substance dependence (73%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (70%), and alcohol dependence (64%). Individuals diagnosed with BPD had significantly more current psychiatric comorbidity than interviewed participants not fulfilling BPD criteria. Participants with BPD also reported substantially more symptoms of ADHD, anxiety and depression compared to all subjects without BPD.

CONCLUSIONS:

BPD affected one fifth of probationers and was related to serious mental ill-health known to affect recidivism risk. The findings suggest further study of possible benefits of improved identification and treatment of BPD in offender populations.

Via: http://ht.ly/RX5eH

By: Wetterborg D1, Långström N2, Andersson G3, Enebrink P4.

• 1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: dan.wetterborg@ki.se.
• 2Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Swedish Prison and Probation Services R&D Unit, 601 80 Norrköping, Sweden. Electronic address: niklas.langstrom@ki.se.
• 3Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden. Electronic address: gerhard.andersson@liu.se.
• 4Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: pia.enebrink@ki.se.

Offenders with Cognitive Deficits in a Canadian Prison Population: Prevalence, Profile, and Outcomes

Impaired cognitive function has been associated with criminal behavior. In Canada it is unknown the extent to which this disorder affects federal inmates or its impact on key correctional outcomes. In this study, 488 incoming male offenders were assessed on the Cognistat, a neuropsychological screening tool. 

Twenty-five percent of offenders were found to have some level of cognitive deficit. Lower levels of educational achievement, unstable employment history, learning disability, serious alcohol problems, and symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were significantly associated with the presence of cognitive deficits in this sample. 

Although there was a significant trend for offenders with cognitive deficits to have more admissions to segregation, level of cognitive deficit was not consistently related to rates of institutional charges or rates of completion of required correctional programs. On release, cognitive deficits were not related to returns to custody or returns to custody with an offence. 

These results indicate that while offenders with cognitive deficits may require assistance with educational upgrading and employment to improve their reintegration potential, they do not pose a particular management problem in the community after release relative to offenders without cognitive deficits.

Via: http://ht.ly/RTPny

By: Stewart LA1, Wilton G2, Sapers J3.

• 1Correctional Service of Canada, 340 Laurier Ave W, Ottawa ON, Canada, K1A 0P9. Electronic address: lynn.stewart@csc-scc.gc.ca.
• 2Correctional Service of Canada, 340 Laurier Ave W, Ottawa ON, Canada, K1A 0P9. Electronic address: geoff.wilton@csc-scc.gc.ca.
• 3Correctional Service of Canada, 340 Laurier Ave W, Ottawa ON, Canada, K1A 0P9.

Callous-Unemotional Traits, Proactive Aggression, and Treatment Outcomes of Aggressive Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Below:  Behavioral outcomes for groups with low, middle, and high scores at baseline on proactive aggression and callous-unemotional traits. Note: Each row shows associations between one behavioral outcome and baseline severity groups (low, middle, high) of proactive aggression and callous-nemotional traits. Panels on the left show behavioral outcomes with participants stratified by proactive aggression group. Panels on the right show callous-unemotional traits groups. The table within each chart shows the contrasts between the 3 severity groups (the differences in least-squares means and the 95% CI for that difference) at baseline and at the end of the stimulant monotherapy protocol. APSD C-U = Antisocial Process Screening Device Callous-Unemotional scale; CBCL = Child Behavior Checklist; ConnGI-P = Conners Global Index (Parent Version); R-MOAS = Retrospective-Modified Overt Aggression Scale; VAQ = Vitiello Aggression Scale.

82 children (51%) experienced remission of aggressive behavior. Neither CU traits nor proactive aggression predicted remission (CU traits: odds ratio=0.94, 95% CI=0.80–1.11; proactive aggression, odds ratio=1.05, 95% CI=0.86–1.29). Children whose overall aggression remitted showed decreases in CU traits (effect size=−0.379, 95% CI=−0.60 to −0.16) and proactive aggression (effect size=−0.463, 95% CI=−0.69 to −0.23).

Findings suggest that pretreatment CU traits and proactive aggression do not forecast worse outcomes for aggressive children with ADHD receiving optimized stimulant pharmacotherapy. With such treatment, CU traits and proactive aggression may decline alongside other behavioral improvements.

Read more at:  http://ht.ly/QPgcT HT @UTHealth