Psychadelic_Paisly
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2003
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Study links drugs and crime
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8211922%5E1702,00.html
19dec03
RESEARCH has confirmed what police have long suspected - most people who are arrested have mental problems and are active drug users.
A study of 288 people arrested and brought to the Brisbane police watchhouse over a five-week period this year found 86 per cent of them had a substance abuse problem, compared with only seven per cent in the general population.
University of Queensland's head of the Department of Psychiatry, Associate Professor Gerard Byrne, supervised the study, which was published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Prof Byrne said studies had been carried out in Australian jails and psychiatric hospitals but there had been no formal research in watchhouses on the role of drugs in crime and mental illness.
"The reason the study was done was because the police and the mental health services were aware there was likely to be a strong connection between these... things and they were interested in setting up a service to help these people," he said.
"The extraordinary thing was the very, very high levels of people who were dependent upon or abusing drugs and the very high level of amphetamine abuse and dependence, particularly in women."
Of the women, 59 per cent arrested had been taking amphetamines, compared with 43 per cent of men.
Women arrested also showed a high level of mental illness or psychiatric "caseness" - the cut-off point used to assess whether or not someone is likely to need psychiatric treatment.
"A total of 93.9 per cent of women met the criterion for caseness," Prof Byrne said.
The study found many of those arrested had psychiatric problems caused by drug use but some may have been using drugs to try to ease their anxiety or depression.
A mental health service has been set up at the Brisbane watchhouse.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8211922%5E1702,00.html
19dec03
RESEARCH has confirmed what police have long suspected - most people who are arrested have mental problems and are active drug users.
A study of 288 people arrested and brought to the Brisbane police watchhouse over a five-week period this year found 86 per cent of them had a substance abuse problem, compared with only seven per cent in the general population.
University of Queensland's head of the Department of Psychiatry, Associate Professor Gerard Byrne, supervised the study, which was published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Prof Byrne said studies had been carried out in Australian jails and psychiatric hospitals but there had been no formal research in watchhouses on the role of drugs in crime and mental illness.
"The reason the study was done was because the police and the mental health services were aware there was likely to be a strong connection between these... things and they were interested in setting up a service to help these people," he said.
"The extraordinary thing was the very, very high levels of people who were dependent upon or abusing drugs and the very high level of amphetamine abuse and dependence, particularly in women."
Of the women, 59 per cent arrested had been taking amphetamines, compared with 43 per cent of men.
Women arrested also showed a high level of mental illness or psychiatric "caseness" - the cut-off point used to assess whether or not someone is likely to need psychiatric treatment.
"A total of 93.9 per cent of women met the criterion for caseness," Prof Byrne said.
The study found many of those arrested had psychiatric problems caused by drug use but some may have been using drugs to try to ease their anxiety or depression.
A mental health service has been set up at the Brisbane watchhouse.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
