The aim of this article is an analysis of the links between race and psychotic illness, psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, as well as psychiatric, police and prison violence…
Abstract
The aim of this article is an analysis of the links between race and psychotic illness, psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, as well as psychiatric, police and prison violence against people with mental health problems. The analysis focuses on Black men who are more frequently diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders and who face more brutal treatment than other people with such diagnoses. We have adopted a multidisciplinary approach which draws insights from psychiatry, psychology, and sociology and challenges the biologistic interpretation of “mental illness.” We take into account the United States and Britain – two countries with large Black minorities and an established tradition of research on these groups. Among the crucial findings of this study are the facts that racial bias and stereotypes heavily influence the way Black men with a diagnosis of psychotic illness are treated by the psychiatric system, police and prison staff, and that the dominant approach to psychosis masks the connections between racism and mental health.
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For the last two years, the Forensic Mental Health Service at South London & Maudsley NHS has been one of the pilot sites funded by the DSPD programme. In this paper we are…
Abstract
For the last two years, the Forensic Mental Health Service at South London & Maudsley NHS has been one of the pilot sites funded by the DSPD programme. In this paper we are reporting on one segment of the Personality Disorder Service. As of December 2006, the service will have been operating for two years. This is one of several Home Office‐funded forensic personality disorder treatment sites in the UK. It consists of a 15‐bed medium secure inpatient service, a community team and two hostels.We begin by describing briefly our treatment model and the theoretical underpinnings of our service. However, the bulk of this paper will report on the lessons we have learned.