| Unit.B.5.1.
Mentally Ill Offender |
[Unit.B.5.1.]
[Unit.D.5.1.]
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Australia |
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Canada |
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"In general
the public tend to view the mentally ill as dangerous and
unpredictable and prone to violence. Traditionally these
stereotypes have been opposed by mental health advocates,
however, a recent body of research evidence suggests that
patient who suffer from serious mental conditions are more
prone to violent behaviour than persons who are not mentally
ill" (Arboleda-Florez, Holley & Crisante, 1998,
p. 3).
"A puntative
causal association between mental illness and violence,
if proven will have major consequences for the mentally
ill and major implications for caregivers, communities and
legislators. Faced with these issues the Mental Health Division
of Health Canada commissioned a study to conduct a critical
appraisal of the literature to determine whether mental
illness causes violence. From an exhaustive review of the
literature, authors concluded that as yet, there is no compelling
scientific evidence to suggest that mental illness causes
violence"(Arboleda-Florez, Holley & Crisante, 1998,
p. 3).
Video Key Points
-'The police officer as a primary mental health resource'.
The purpose of the video is:
- "to provide
general information on mental health issues to police
officers,
- to make police
officers aware of the aware of the impact of mental illness
on the police- officer-citizen encounter, and
- to address
the problem of stress and its effect on the police officer"
(Arboleda-Florez, Crisanti, & Holley, 1996, p.1).
"By recognizing
mental illness, the police officer will be able:
- to act more
cautiously in approaching the citizen, so as to avoid
harm,
- to divert
the citizen to a more appropriate system, such as the
Mental Health System and,
- to obtain
general knowledge on mental illness factors that could
aide in police work" (Arboleda-Florez, Crisanti,
& Holley, 1996, p. 2).
Chapter I - On
Mental Illness and Mental Health - Objective:
- "to increase
police officers knowledge of syndromes, diagnosis and
symptoms of the most frequent mental conditions and to
increase their awareness of the impact of mental illness,
their extent and costs" (Arboleda-Florez, Crisanti,
& Holley, 1996, p. 8).
Chapter II -Police
Officer/Citizen Encounters - Objective:
- "to recognize
the dynamic relationship between police officers and citizens
and the role of preconceived notions which may have an
impact on the encounter.
- "to
apply knowledge gained in the first chapter in the assessment
of actual police-officer citizen encounters" (Arboleda-Florez,
Crisanti, & Holley, 1996, p. 35).
"Criteria
for Admission under the Alberta Mental Health Act
1. Suffering
for a mental disorder
2. In a position presenting or likely to present a danger
to himself or other, an
3. Unsuitable for admission to a facility other than as
formal (involuntary patient)"
(Arboleda-Florez, Crisanti, & Holley, 1996, p. 41).
Chapter III -
Stress and the Police Officer - Objective:
- "to focus
on general issues of stress and other factors that could
cause individuals, citizens and police officers alike
to react in an unusual manner" (Arboleda-Florez,
Crisanti, & Holley, 1996, p. 60).
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United Kingdom |
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"For almost
200 years, the crime and the criminal have been melded into
one conjoint figure - the mentally disordered offender"
(Mason & Mercer, 1999, p. 236).
"Nursing
management of those patients considered to have personality
disorders is traditionally very difficult. This difficulty
in part stems from inability of nurses to strategically
develop therapeutic relationships in a safe manner. Crossing
boundaries is a necessary part for therapeutic exploration
and relationship building. Triumvirate nursing offers a
safe mechanism for undertaking this" (Melia, Moran
& Mason, 1999, p. 19).
"The mechanics
of triumvirate nursing is quite simply nurses working in
a team of three, each with equal responsibility for the
provision of care for their patients". They further
elaborate that "one patient would have three nurses
who would work together to plan care and engage the individual
in a therapeutic enterprise. Interventions would be planned
and outlined as part of the care program assessment, with
individual sessions being conducted by two nurses acting
as co-therapists" (Melia, Moran & Mason, 1999,
p. 19).
"The article
details further "the review process by the triumvirate
team following each session and the importance of fairly
and regularly shifting their roles within the triumvirate"
(Melia, Moran & Mason, 1999, p. 19).
"There has
been growing concern over the treatability of those patients
labeled as psychopathically disordered" (Moran &
Mason, 1996, p. 189).
"The term
psychopathic disorder is a legal expression rather than
a clinical category and there are those that would prefer
that clinicians do not use it to allude to this patient
group" (Moran & Mason, 1996, p. 189).
"This term
for psychiatric nurses certainly makes sense in terms of
difficulty of encounters, the out-of-controlness, the therapeutic
power imbalance and the lack of effective interventions"
(Moran & Mason, 1996, p. 189).
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"The
following principles have emerged from many years
of clinical experience and are grounded in practice:
1. Usufruct-
enjoy their dynamic
2. Never be surprised
3. Humour
4. 99% honesty
5.
Destabilitizing the static
6. Rule flexibility
7. Vulnerability"
(Moran
& Mason, 1996, p. 189)
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United States |
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The Surgeon General's office issued a comprehensive new report on Mental Illness in America, the first report of its kind in terms of scope and source. According to the report's findings, one in five Americans experiences a mental illness in any given year and half experience a mental disorder at some time in their lives. But the report's most compelling language was reserved for the obstacles to effective treatment of the mentally ill. Citing stigmas, ignorance of the efficacy of treatment, and a health insurance system that does not accord the same coverage (or respect) to mental illnesses as it does to physical ones, the report calls for an expansion in the supply of mental health services and, specifically, an increase in the number of mental health professionals caring for children and adolescents (Surgeon General Report, 1999, Dec 14).
Focus Points
Reference
Arboleda-Florez,
J., Crisanti, A. & Holley, H. (1996).Video & Manual
'The police officer as a primary mental health resource'
[90 minutes] Prepared under The Auspices of the Pan-American
Health Organization, by the Department of Psychiatry, Peter
Lougheed Centre, Calgary Regional Health Authority, World
Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and
Training in Mental Health.
Arboleda-Florez,
J., Holley, H. & Crisante, A. (1998). Mental illness
and violence. International Medical Journal, 5 (1),
3-8.
Mason T. &
Mercer, D. (1999). Forensic psychiatric nursing. (Chapter
13) pp. 236-259. In M. Clinton, & S. Nelson (Ed). Advanced
Practice in Mental Health Nursing. Blackwell Science
Ltd: Oxford.
Melia, P., Moran,
T. & Mason, T. (1999). Triumvirate nursing for personality
disordered patients: Crossing the boundaries safely. Journal
of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 6, 15-20.
Moran, T. &
Mason, T. (1996). Revisiting the nursing management of the
psychopath. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health
Nursing, 3, 189-194.
Surgeon General
Report on Mental Health. (1999, Dec 14). Mental Health:
A Report of the Surgeon General by David Satcher, M.D.,
Ph.D. Retrieved June 14, 2002 form http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/
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B - Forensic Psychiatry > Section B.5.0. Forensic Populations >
Unit.B.5.1. Mentally Ill Offender
