Contents
Understanding
mental health
Page 05 Understanding mental health
Page 10 U
nderstanding causes of mental
ill-health among prisoners
People with good mental health are generally able to think,
feel and react in ways that enable them to enjoy life, whilst
those with poor mental health may find life difficult to cope
with and may find it hard to constructively interact with others.
It can be particularly difficult for those with poor mental health
to participate in, or contribute to, daily prison life. Poor mental
health can also reduce engagement in rehabilitation activities
and it is therefore associated with reoffending.
Page 14 Mental healthcare in prison
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he role of prison staff in
addressing mental ill-health and
promoting mental well-being
rison administration and
Page 32 P
management
Terminology
Mental health
WHO defines mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which
every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with
the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully,
and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’.4
Scope of the
short guide
Mental ill-health and mental health conditions
or disorders
This guide uses these terms to describe a wide range of
psychiatric disabilities, including those explained on pages 7–8.
They can be described as ‘health conditions involving changes
in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these)’.5
There is no clear distinction between the symptoms of
low-level, common and severe mental health conditions –
it is a continuum or a ‘spectrum’.
This guide seeks to help prison staff
understand and respond appropriately
to the mental health needs of adult
prisoners. It focuses on how prison
staff can promote and protect mental
health and well-being and enable
those with existing conditions
to function better in the prison
environment. It does not detail the
diagnosis and treatment of specific
conditions, as this is the responsibility
of mental health professionals. It is
not intended to replace mental health
training, which all prison staff should
receive as part of their professional
and ongoing development.
Intellectual disabilities
These are ‘a condition of arrested or incomplete development
of the mind characterised by impairment of skills and/or overall
intelligence in areas such as cognition, imagination, language,
and motor or social abilities’.6
Whilst intellectual disabilities and mental ill-health have different
causes and effects, they can all affect an individual’s ability to
function in a prison environment and they frequently co-occur.
For this reason, prison staff should apply the appropriate
approaches outlined in this paper for both categories.
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