Hope is an important factor in psychological resilience and change, and recovery from mental health difficulties. Recently, there has been an increased focus on recovery-oriented practice within forensic mental health settings. Several policies include calls for mental health practitioners to inspire hope for recovery in the individuals they work with. However, there is little suggestion of how to implement such recommendations in practice or research exploring how staff foster hope in forensic settings. This study used grounded theory to explore nurses’ perspectives and experiences of hope within a medium secure setting. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
Open access. Cardiometabolic health significantly impacts on the mortality of people with severe mental illness. Clozapine has the greatest efficacy for Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia (TRS) but the greatest negative impact on cardiometabolic health. Balancing the risks and benefits of treatment, dignity, autonomy, liberty, mental and physical health can be challenging, particularly when imposing interventions with potentially life threatening adverse events, such as clozapine. We describe the successful administration of clozapine in the face of myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism and hyperlipidaemia resulting in the termination of long-term seclusion for a gentleman with TRS in high secure psychiatric services.
Law and Human Behavior Vol. 41, Iss. 6, (Dec 2017): 588-599.
Little is known about the psychopathological or criminal history characteristics of female firesetters, or how often women reoffend by firesetting. The current study is one of the few large-scale longitudinal investigations to compare key psychiatric and offending variables in female and male firesetters who are not incarcerated or known to be mentally disordered. In addition, the study aimed to identify the base rate of recidivism for female firesetters compared with males. The study compared all 143 female and 909 male firesetters convicted of arson and fire-related offenses between 2000 and 2009 in Victoria, Australia.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
The use of seclusion as a means of managing the extreme behaviours forensic patients in secure settings is a controversial yet often common practice, despite there being little evidence that seclusion as a practice has any significant therapeutic value for the patient. The aim of this study was to explore the use of seclusion and whether this differs as a function of gender and diagnosis across secure services. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
‘Electronic Monitoring’ (EM) uses devices to monitor individuals’ whereabouts. In 2010, South London and Maudsley medium secure unit introduced EM to monitor individuals on leave. Analysis after two years revealed EM was associated with increased unescorted leave and reduced leave violation; however, comparative costs were not established. This study aims to compare costs of EM for patients on leave by comparing average total cost per patient with and without EM. Costs were compared before and after implementation of EM. Total cost of leave for each group was divided by number of patients to generate average total cost per patient. The average total cost per patient without EM was £1702; £1617 with EM. Although cost decreased, this was not statistically significant. The results showed no significant difference between average total costs per patient before and after EM. The finding of EM being cost-neutral is cautiously optimistic. Further trials are recommended. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Law and Human Behavior Vol. 41, Iss. 6, (Dec 2017): 507-518.
The Violence Risk Appraisal Guide—Revised (VRAG–R) was developed to replace the original VRAG based on an updated and larger sample with an extended follow-up period. Using a sample of 120 adult male correctional offenders, the current study examined the interrater reliability and predictive and comparative validity of the VRAG–R to the VRAG, the Psychopathy Checklist—Revised, the Statistical Information on Recidivism—Revised, and the Two-Tiered Violence Risk Estimate over a follow-up period of up to 22 years postrelease.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Psychology, Public Policy, and Law Vol. 24, Iss. 1, (Feb 2018): 11-23.
Experts in forensic psychology must make skilled observations and conclusions, minimally compromised by bias, in order to try and provide reliable and accurate conclusions to the courts. But the field has little data revealing how well forensic psychologists actually perform these tasks, in part because there has been no clear framework for systematic research of their expertise. Therefore, we consider forensic psychological assessments in light of Dror’s (2016) Hierarchy of Expert Performance (HEP).. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
There is a lack of research in forensic settings examining therapeutic relationships. A structured communication approach, placing patients’ perspectives at the heart of discussions about their care, was used to improve patients’ quality of life in secure settings.
Background: Urinary drug screens are routinely administered for patients returning from leave from forensic psychiatric wards, and are required to be negative for patients to continue to use their allocated leave. Case: A 35-year-old woman took leave from her low-secure psychiatric unit. On return, her urine screened positively for 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). She strongly denied she had taken it; however, all her leave was cancelled. Her clinical state greatly deteriorated, and she attempted to hang herself the following day. After stabilisation of the patient and continued denial of taking MDMA, the urine was sent for toxicology analysis. In the weeks that followed, she started self-harming and deteriorated to the point of needing electroconvulsive therapy. The toxicological report came back as a false-positive due to recently started Mebeverine. Conclusion: Clinicians must be mindful that urinary drug screens are not diagnostic, but also that not being believed can be devastating, especially for long-stay forensic inpatients.. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This paper looks briefly at the case study of Russian sexual serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. Whilst serial homicide has received wide ranging attention more broadly in the literature, Chikatilo’s criminality and sexually deviant behaviour have thus far lacked any in-depth psychological explanation, with his crimes attributed tentatively to dysfunction upbringing and innate deviance. However, based on theoretical arguments presented in the present investigation, a more detailed account of what may have contributed to the development of such extreme sexual violence and cognitive distortions is discussed.. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Psychological defence mechanisms have been considered important personality processes in the onset, maintenance and recovery of mental disorders. More recently, their application to understanding presenting problems and as potential outcome indicators for forensic patients has been recommended. However, to date there have been no investigations into the reliability and factor structure of defence mechanism assessments for this population. The current study investigated the factor structure, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Defence Style Questionnaire-40 (DSQ) for 160 adult male UK forensic patients. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Recovery is a widely accepted paradigm in mental health care, whilst the correctional and forensic–psychiatric field is still searching for foundations for its implementation. Knowledge regarding recovery of persons with intellectual disabilities in secure contexts is limited. This study assesses recovery needs and resources among persons with intellectual disabilities labelled not criminally responsible and investigates the impact of the judicial label on recovery processes.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
Open access. Evidence is accumulating that Cognitive Remediation Training (CRT) is effective for ameliorating cognitive deficits experienced by patients with schizophrenia and accompanying functional impairment. There has been no randomized controlled trial of CRT using a nationally representative population of forensic patients, despite the significant cognitive deficits frequently present within this group.
Forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) is an adaptation of the assertive community treatment model and is designed to serve justice-involved adults with serious mental illness. This study compared the effectiveness of a standardized FACT model and enhanced treatment as usual in reducing jail and hospital use and in promoting engagement in outpatient mental health services In New York State. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
Health and social care professionals are gatekeepers to, and custodians of, confidential service user information. In the United Kingdom (UK), police investigations have unveiled cases of payments being made to public service officials by journalists in return for service user information. The purpose of this discussion is to investigate such cases in the context of high-security forensic care. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This study considers how those who work in prisons are affected by and respond to repetitive self-harm of imprisoned women in English prisons. This paper considers the perspectives of custodial staff working in this area on a day-to-day basis. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text.
Open access. Recently, the term ‘locked rehabilitation’ has spread from commissioning to now also clinical parlance. This is without any clear service description or category of patient which this service manages. Differences between this new term and an established definition of low secure services are examined and reasons for the introduction of this terminology are discussed. This is contextualised within service development, payment by results and measures of quality. It is argued that there is a need for ongoing measurements of types of patients admitted to, and treatments offered by, this ‘new’ ward, as well as those within psychiatric intensive and low secure care services.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for psychosis (ACTp) is an approach that aims to change the relationship an individual with psychosis has with difficult thoughts, emotions and experiences. It promotes the use of acceptance, defusion, mindfulness and focussing on valued outcomes as opposed to struggling with psychotic experiences. This service evaluation project explored service users’ experiences and meanings of ACTp within a medium secure mental health service.. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This service evaluation project explored service users’ experiences of positive behavioural support (PBS) within a medium secure mental health service. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Open access. Personality Disorder (PD) is an enduring, multi-faceted mental disorder, associated with adverse health effects, difficulties with interpersonal relationships and in some cases increased risk to others. A limited number of dedicated forensic mental health services are available for serious offenders with severe personality disorder. The recent Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) strategy aims to ensure that most such offenders are treated in prison rather than secure psychiatric services, except in highly complex cases where this is not possible. While the strategy sets out very broad criteria relating to this, greater clarity is needed to support decisions about appropriate transfer and hence enhance public protection. This study explored which characteristics professional experts associate with appropriate transfer from prison to forensic mental health services for high-risk offenders with PD.