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Psychiatric disorders and mental health care among incarcerated men: A prerelease cross-sectional study in France

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2025

Thomas Fovet*
Affiliation:
Univ. Lille, Inserm, U1172 – Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France Department of Psychiatry, CHU Lille, Lille, France
Kevin D’Ovidio
Affiliation:
Fédération Régionale de Recherche en Psychiatrie et Santé Mentale Hauts-de-France (F2RSM Psy), Saint-André-lez-Lille, France
Marion Eck
Affiliation:
Univ. Lille, Inserm, U1172 – Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France Pôle de Psychiatrie et de Conduites Addictives en Milieu Pénitentiaire, Centre Hospitalier Gérard Marchant, Toulouse, France
Imane Benradia
Affiliation:
EPSM Lille Métropole, Centre Collaborateur de l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé pour la recherche et la formation en santé mentale, Lille-Hellemmes, France Équipe Eceve Inserm UMR 1123, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Diderot, Paris, France
Stéphane Duhem
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, CHU Lille, Lille, France Fédération Régionale de Recherche en Psychiatrie et Santé Mentale Hauts-de-France (F2RSM Psy), Saint-André-lez-Lille, France Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, CIC1403 – Clinical Investigation Center, Lille, France
Camille Lancelevée
Affiliation:
Unistra, UMR 7363 – SAGE, Sociétés, Acteurs et Gouvernement en Europe, Strasbourg, France
Pierre Thomas
Affiliation:
Univ. Lille, Inserm, U1172 – Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France Department of Psychiatry, CHU Lille, Lille, France Fédération Régionale de Recherche en Psychiatrie et Santé Mentale Hauts-de-France (F2RSM Psy), Saint-André-lez-Lille, France
Marielle Wathelet
Affiliation:
Univ. Lille, Inserm, U1172 – Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France Agence régionale de santé (ARS) des Hauts-de-France, Lille, France
Ali Amad
Affiliation:
Univ. Lille, Inserm, U1172 – Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France Department of Psychiatry, CHU Lille, Lille, France
*
Corresponding author: Thomas Fovet; Email: thomas.fovet@chu-lille.fr

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.

Information

Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
Figure 0

Figure 1. Participation flowchart.

Figure 1

Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics of the sample (n=579 incarcerated men scheduled to be released soon, France, 2021–2022)

Figure 2

Table 2. Criminal characteristics and imprisonment status of the sample (n=579 incarcerated men scheduled to be released soon, France, 2021–2022)

Figure 3

Figure 2. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs) among our sample, according to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (n=579 incarcerated men soon to be released, France, 2021–2022).

Figure 4

Figure 3. Prevalence of dual diagnoses among our sample, according to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (n=579 incarcerated men soon to be released, France, 2021–2022).

Figure 5

Figure 4. Mental healthcare use (at least one consultation with a mental health professional) before (entire life and month before), during, and planned after imprisonment (n = 579 incarcerated men soon to be released, France, 2021–2022).

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