Victimization of people with enduring mental illness in the community

Abstract

The deinstitutionalization of care for the mentally ill has been in vogue for about fifty years. Broadly speaking, this transition can be seen to exhibit the following main trends: a dramatic decline in the inpatient population of psychiatric hospitals, coupled with a corresponding increase in community facilities such as psychiatric units in general hospitals, day hospitals, and day centres. It has been claimed that deinstitutionalization ends previously enforced seclusion, enhances human dignity and allows individual privacy. The deinstitutionalization movement has inevitably led both to large numbers of former long-stay patients being cared for in the community and to significant numbers of individuals developing enduring mental illness in the community without ever having had a long inpatient tenure. The findings of recent studies (Gould 1992, Brockington et al. 1993) suggest that there is a positive public attitude towards the mentally ill. However, Kelly (1997), while carrying out Quality of Life research, found that over half of the community-based long-term mentally ill he surveyed reported that they had experienced harassment/victimization. This paper is not a report on the Quality of Life research but a discussion on the theme of victimization that has emerged from the study. The extent of the problem is discussed as are the implications for mental health professionals.

Patients' experiences of absconding from a psychiatric setting in Indonesia

“…As Johnstone (2001) found, patients with mental illness are people who are ‘discriminated against, marginalized, disadvantaged and vulnerable members of society’ (Johnstone 2001, p. 200). As long as stigma remains, there will be the problem of harassment and victimization of people with mental illness in the community (Kelly & Mc Kenna 1997), as experienced by some participants in this study.…”

'You don't tick boxes on a form': A study of how community mental health nurses assess and manage risk

“…A MIND questionnaire survey with 778 respondents found that 14% stated that they had been physically attacked, 25% felt at risk of attack in their own home, and 26% said they had been forced to move home because of harassment (Read and Baker 1996). In an interview survey in Northern Ireland (Kelly and McKenna 1997) mental patients described their experience of victimisation. They reported experiences of neighbours daubing graffiti on the walls of their homes, throwing bricks at their front doors and through their windows, and visits from paramilitaries demanding that they move.…”

Risks of Minor and Serious Violent Victimization in Prison

“…Studies also show positive relationships between mental disorders and victimization in society (Goodman et al 2001;Hiday et al 1999Hiday et al , 2001Kelly and McKenna 1997;Silver 2002;Silver et al 2005;Swartz et al 1998;Teasdale 2009;Walsh et al 2003). Many scholars attribute the victimization of the mentally ill to the deinstitutionalization movement of mental patients during the 1970s (e.g., Accordino and Porter 2001;Kelly and McKenna 1997).…”

“…Many scholars attribute the victimization of the mentally ill to the deinstitutionalization movement of mental patients during the 1970s (e.g., Accordino and Porter 2001;Kelly and McKenna 1997). The overflow of mentally ill patients into rural and urban communities led a number of ex-patients into poverty and homelessness, increasing their likelihood of victimization.…”