No abstract

Prison, a virtual town of 85 000 people, can be an unhealthy place, prone to depression, suicide, hepatitis C and the heart and lung diseases that are caused by smoking. The best estimates show that around 7% of sentenced male prisoners have psychosis and the figure rises to 10% for males on remand and 14% for women prisoners.1 Two-thirds have taken drugs in the year before imprisonment and in a third this has included heroin. A third were drinking heavily in the month before they entered prison.

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No abstract

Governments are devious, self-serving, up to no good. Just as psychiatrists are sinister, voyeuristic, not really doctors. Prejudice against authority figures is harmless and possibly healthy. Until we start to believe it. In fact, governments are just people. They have the same failings as the rest of us, but like us they are trying to do the right thing. What they do not have is clinical experience, and there lies our big chance. The government believes that power lies with clinicians and is desperate for our support. We can lead mental healthcare reform -unless, of course, we prefer the prejudice.