Depression, hopelessness and suicide ideation among vulnerable prisoners.
BACKGROUND
Self-harm among prisoners is high, and suicide rates increasing. Assessment of depressive characteristics is easy. To what extent are these linked with previous self-harm?


OBJECTIVE
To compare depressive characteristics of prisoners who report previous self-harm with those who do not.


METHODS
Twenty-four new arrivals at an adult male category B local prison who reported previous episodes of suicidal behaviour (including self-harm and/or explicit attempted suicide) were assessed using the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. A further 24 new arrivals were matched as closely as possible with them on sociodemographic and offending characteristics.


RESULTS
Mean scores on the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation were significantly higher among the prisoners with a history of self-harm.


CONCLUSIONS
Prisoners with a previous history of self-harm are more likely than those without to show a range of depressive symptoms than their imprisoned peers without such a history, suggesting a continued vulnerability to self-harm and perhaps suicide.
Clinical Division of Psychiatry, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Gwendolen Road, Leicester LE5 5PW, UK. ejp8@le.ac.uk
Emma J
EJ
Palmer
Rachael
R
Connelly
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D012306:Risk; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*