Essay Sample. Research and Qualitative Study of Mental Illness in Prison

There has been an increase in the number of prisoners who have mental illness in the US. These prisoners have co-occurring personality and substance abuse disorders, medical conditions, and histories of exposure to social pathologies (Galanek, 2012). Through the nine months of ethnographic fieldwork in a US prison, research was conducted to analyze how mental health clinicians construct psychiatric disorders among intimate. Fifteen to twenty percent of US inmates have severe psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (Galanek, 2012). Inmates with these disorders have a history of enmeshment in numerous social pathologies consistent with the general community population of the severely mentally ill in the US. Such tales include them being homeless, substance abuse, and being involved in physical and sexual abuse. The research goal was to examine how social and cultural processes within state prisons mediate the course and outcomes of a psychiatric disorder for inmates with severe mental illness.

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Data Analyses Methods

The participant in the research included inmates diagnosed with a severe psychiatric disorder, mental health staff, security staff, and other prison staff who self-identified as having experience working with inmates diagnosed with this mental disorder. All the participants had informed consent, and the research was conducted between March to November 2009. Incorporated open-ended qualitative interviews and direct observation of the prison environment was conducted. There was an observation of cell block activities and interactions between officers and inmates. All the mental health staff was interviewed with the interview based on how they worked with inmates with a mental disorder. Some of the staff's questions included how they conceptualize mental illness in prison and how it is like for them to interact and work with inmates with mental illness. These open-ended questions were augmented with an exploration of how prison mental health staff perceived and understand mental health among inmates

Analysis of Findings

The research found that many individuals with mental illness in prison have substantial sexual and physical abuse histories. Incarcerated individuals with mental illness had a more significant likelihood of being exposed to social pathology at some point in the past (Linda, 1998). Clinicians revealed that by virtual working with incarcerated men, a high number of personality disorders were present among this population. Through mental health staff research, individuals with severe Axis 1 psychiatric disorder could also have an Axis II or personality disorder. The sole existence of an Axis I disorder was rare within the prison population. Individuals with severe psychiatric disorders were responding quickly to the treatments provided by the mental health team.

Limitations and Implication of the Result

During the research, some limitation was encountered, but there were necessary means that was placed to ensure that they did not affect the final report. One of the constraints faced by the researchers is difficulty in interviewing those prisoners who were in severe mental disorders where some were not willing to be questioned. However, the researcher was able to interview a few who were willing and based the analyses on them. The research was also open-ended, where participants had more control over the content of the data collected. It was, therefore, difficult for the researcher to verify the authenticity of the data collected.

Literature Review

Analyses of the cultural construction of mental illness in prison reveal that what is at stake for clinicians is not the only provision of appropriate treatment, but it also entails the environmental factors surrounding the inmate in prison. The research has revealed how little is known of various expressions of prison mental health, such as how professional knowledge is enacted in dealing with an inmate suffering from mental illness. Most inmates who are suffering from mental illness have been associated with past experience in substance abuse. Inmates who abuse certain drugs such as methamphetamines in the community or prison are faced with thinking disorders, sleep disturbance, paranoia, and anxious affect.

How Research Applied Ethical Principles in the Study

For qualitative research to be ethically correct, it must abide by the ethical principle of conducting the study (Chenail, 2011). The above analysis was able to minimize the risk of harm to the participant by ensuring there was informed consent. The participant's anonymity and confidentiality were also protected, and where such anonymity was revealed, earlier permission was sought from them. The ethical principle of avoiding deceptive practices was adhered to where the participants were given education on what the research is about. There was right for the participant to withdraw from the interview at any stage if they felt to do so. The study was, therefore, able to adhere to many ethical principles of participants.

Conclusion of the Research

The researcher was able to identify how mental illness in prison is affecting the inmates with the study giving the current reflection of how prison is faced with this problem. The mental health treatment system in prison reflects a particular form of local psychiatric knowledge that is intimately embedded within the prisons' social and cultural context. The mental health staff's deep enmeshment in prison contributes greatly to the unique nature of the mental health system. Understanding the complexities of the inmate's institutional life is facilitated by prison staff, where they can discover any inmates facing the threat of mental illness. The mental health staff's ability to engage with the inmate on the cellblock and other areas in prison also contributes to clinicians' ability to contextualize the inmate's illness experience.

References

Chenail, R. (2011). Ten Steps for Conceptualizing and Conducting Qualitative Research Studies in a Pragmatically Curious Manner. Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA. file:///C:/Users/intel/Downloads/One%20Source%20to%20be%20Used.pdf

Galanek, J. (2012). The Cultural Construction of Mental Illness in Prison: A Perfect Storm of Pathology. Published online: Springer Science and Business Media, New York. file:///C:/Users/intel/Downloads/Article%20To%20Write%20About.pdf

Linda, E. (1998). Persons With Severe Mental Illness in Jails and Prisons. Professional well-being journal. https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/ps.49.4.483