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Mental illness hospitalizations more common among juvenile prisoners

Detained juvenile offenders were more likely to be hospitalized for mental illness, often accompanied by substance abuse, than the general population, according to study findings in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

“Detained youth are a high-risk population with numerous unmet medical and mental health needs. Previous studies within the juvenile justice system demonstrated increased prevalence of a variety of medical conditions, including sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, asthma, and obesity,” study researcher Arash Anoshiravani, MD, MPH, of Stanford University in Stanford, California, and colleagues wrote. “The prevalence of psychiatric illness in detained adolescents is striking, with studies suggesting that up to two-thirds of these youth have mental health disorders.”

Arash Anoshiravani

To examine inpatient hospitalization patterns among detained and non-detained youth, researchers evaluated data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Patient Discharge Dataset from 1997 to 2011 for individuals aged 11 to 18 years.

Overall, there were 11,367 hospitalizations among detained youth.

They found that 63% of juvenile prisoners who were hospitalized had a primary diagnosis of mental health disorder, compared with 19.8% of non-detained youth.

Hospitalization for a mental health disorder was significantly more common among female juvenile prisoners, at 74%.

Juvenile prisoners hospitalized for mental illness had a longer mean length of stay compared with the general population (at least 6 days vs. 5 days).

Hospitalized juvenile prisoners discharged to chemical dependency programs had the longest hospital stays, at 43 days or more.

Mental health diagnoses did not significantly differ between juvenile prisoners and non-detained youth, according to researchers, with depressive, substance abuse and conduct disorders being the most common.

“They’re regular kids who have had really, really horrible childhoods,” Anoshiravani said in a press release. “We are arresting kids who have had mental health problems probably related to their experience as children. Is that the way we should be dealing with this, or should we be getting them into treatment earlier, before they start getting caught up in the justice system?” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.