Literature Review : Nami Is A Not For Profit Organization

As a whole, literature on the topic of mental illness in our country and specifically in our criminal justice system had a reoccurring theme. There are millions of individuals who suffer from mental illness but are improperly being handled through the criminal justice system. These individuals are deemed criminal just by their acts and their mental health state is not overly examine. Jails and prisons are being overcrowded. State prisons and jails are overpopulated anywhere from 15 to 32% (Spending Money in All the Wrong Places: Jails & Prisons).

In recent years, correctional facilities have begun to experience an influx of inmates who suffer with mental illness. Per Morgan, et al (2011), ?the United States has three times more individuals with severe mental illnesses in prisons than in psychiatric hospitals.? Most prisons in this country aren?t equipped to properly care for the mentally ill persons who enter the facility. Individuals with mental illness are more likely to be placed in prisons rather than a mental health institution to receive help to deal

Individuals suffering from mental illnesses tend to fall victim to the criminal justice system due to their uncontrollable actions that result from their mental illness symptoms. Within the United States two to three hundred thousand people in prison suffer from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, severe depression, and bipolar disorder. Sadly, the majority of prisons are deficient in providing the appropriate resources to treat these individuals; people with mental illnesses are too frequently socially mistreated, neglected, and misunderstood within the confines of a prison. Prisons are deficient in correctional staff trained to suit mentally ill inmates, in

The NAMI presentation that took place on February 2, 2017 had a really intriguing effect on me. NAMI stands for “National Alliance on Mental Illness”. NAMI provides the In Our Own Voice presentations, which are offered with the goal “to change attitudes, preconceived notions and stereotypes” about mental illness (NAMI North Carolina: North Carolina’s Voice on Mental Illness, n.d.). I am one to hold a stigma against those with mental disorders. The New Oxford American Dictionary says that, stigma is “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person” (Stevenson & Lindberg, 2011). Even after the presentation, I still do to some extent. The presentation did open my eyes to the fact that people with certain mental disorders can get the treatment they need to live some-what “normal” lives.

Given the number of incarcerated inmates who suffer from some form of mental illness, there are growing concerns and questions in the medical field about treatment of the mentally ill in the prison system. When a person with a mental illness commits a crime or break the law, they are immediately taken to jail or sent off to prison instead of being evaluated and placed in a hospital or other mental health facility. “I have always wondered if the number of mentally ill inmates increased since deinstitutionalization” Since prison main focus is on the crimes inmates are incarcerated; the actual treatment needed for the mentally ill is secondary. Mentally ill prisoners on the surface may appear to be just difficult inmates depending on the

Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. With more than 320 affiliate nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well being of the nation, every day, and in a time of crisis (2007 Mental Health America). As an organization, Mental Health America has been around for nearly a century. We began work in 1909 when Clifford W. Beers, a young business man who struggled with a mental illness and shared his story with the world in his autobiography “A Mind

Furthermore, tremendous advances have been made in the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses in the recent decades. Nowadays, someone with a mental illness is treated with respect, just like every other person, because, in fact, everyone is equal. Society’s goals today are to treat and support the mentally ill individuals enough so they can live in

According to a 2006 Bureau of Justice Statistics report found that over half of the inmates in both prisons and in jails had a problem concerning their mental health (James & Glaze, 2006). The estimates in this report were separated by federal prisons, which contained 45 percent of inmates suffering from mental illness, 56 percent in state prisons, and

Within the past two decades there’s been a revival in efforts to reduce stigmatization attached to mental illnesses. It was concluded that if mental illnesses were perceived better as ‘real’ diseases by the public that stigma would go down greatly. Reports proposed the idea that better scientific understanding of mental illnesses by the general public could greatly reduce stigma. Stigma is intensely rooted in social and cultural norms it’s patterns devalue and dehumanize groups of individuals within society (in this case mentally ill people). Stigma constructs barriers for individuals, barriers that limit a person’s abilities to have equal opportunities for employment, safe housing, health care and social relationships.Efforts to reduce stigma in recent years have

In this article, Patrick J. Corrigan, Scott B. Morris, Patrick W. Michaels, Jennifer D. Rafacz, and Nicolas Rüsch discuss various approaches to challenge the stigma that surrounds mental

The growing rate of inmates with mental health disorders in correctional facilities is alarming. 54% state jail. 45% federal

By providing mental health treatment in prisons, it will improve both the quality of life within the prison of the mentally ill along with the entire prison population. Treatment is also critical because it increases the probability of the mentally ill prisoners to better adjust to life once they are released and decrease the chance of reoffending and returning to prison (“Mental Health and Prisons”). There are a few objectives for the treatment goal. The first objective is to provide mentally ill prisoners access to proper mental health treatment and care that is at least at the minimum level of what is provided in the outside community. This mental health treatment can come about by providing mental health training to prison health workers, setting up times for community mental health teams to visit the prison, or allowing prisoners access to mental health services outside the prison (“Mental Health and Prison”).

It is estimated that 43.5 million Americans, adults 18 or older, live with mental illness. This number represents 18.1% of all U.S. adults (National Institute of Mental Health, 2014). Stigma toward those who are seen as different have existed for as long as civilization itself, with the stigma for mental illness being one of the most prominent and long lasting that society has had to face throughout its ages (Arboleda-Florez & Stuart, 2012). Increased understanding and awareness for those individuals suffering from mental illness is necessary for us to overcome the impacts stigma has on our society.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of ACT treatment methods in combination with different institutional programs, to analyse their impact on mentally ill incarcerated individuals. ACT treatment was chosen as the main form of counseling for one, due to its success when dealing with substance abuse, which is a common symptom of inmates, but especially inmates with mental illnesses (Huxter, 2013; Lanza et al., 2014). Secondly, it has been shown to work effectively when applied to individuals suffering from psychosis (Bach & Hayes, 2002), who are also widely represented in the population of individuals with mental illnesses (Huxter, 2013). The impact of the treatment will be measures through the use of two psychological tests. One will assess psychiatric disorders, while the other assesses existing problems in the different aspects of an individual 's life. Impact will be defined as a significant change in the test results when comparing the post-assessments to the pre-assessments. The participants of this study will be 300 inmates with diagnosed mental illnesses who are required to take prescribed medicine to alleviate their symptoms. These participants will be recruited from five different correctional institutions through voluntary participation. The inmates will be informed of the chance to participate in a voluntary study, through the institutions’ counselors. The counselor will inform a sample of their newest patients, who have not received

While some may argue that incarcerating mentally ill people makes the community a safer place, prisons will never be the adequate place for a person with mental disabilities to be held in, but improving the health care system inside these prisons can make a positive impact. Although inmates have the right to health care even while being incarcerated, many of the facilities do not offer them the health care needed. Incarcerating a person with mental disabilities can cause a huge psychological impact and instead of improving their state, it makes it worse. Scholars argue that a treatment that is effective for inmates with mental disabilities is often administered through the Multidisciplinary Mental Health Care in Prisons (Appelbaum). Multidisciplinary Mental Health Care involves officers who work in specialized units in order to be able to provide better medical assistance to the inmates. Although this is a good technique because it provides more specialized care to inmates, there is never going to be enough clinicians compared to the number of inmates with mental disorders. But, by implementing this type of program in more facilities can help reduce the negative experiences that inmates with mental disabilities experience. According to scholar Dvoskin JA, this program along with training the correctional officers, could accomplish and enhance the way mentally ill people are treated in prisons. These programs can improve the treatment that people are receiving in prisons