ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:This study seeks to describe the clinical profile of the male patients admitted to the Forensic Psychiatric Ward of the National Center for Mental Health as well as determine what demographic and clinical factors are associated with violence of the patients. METHODOLOGY: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Pavilion 4 of the NCMH with 158 subjects whose records were reviewed. Crimes were categorized as either violent or non-violent and patient's symptoms were clustered into 8 categories. To test for association, chi-square test and relative risk was computed to determine the degree of association. RESULTS: Most patients were between 30-39 years old (46.2%), single (78.5%), Catholic (84.2%) and had undergone at least an elementary education (51.9%). Majority (55.7%) came from the Luzon Provinces outside Metro Manila and 77.8% had psychiatric disorders prior to being admitted to Pavilion 4. Most (68.4%) of the violent crimes committed were committed against persons and 52.5% were committed against non-relatives. The more frequent symptoms noted were hallucinations in 56.3% and speech disturbances in 53.2%. of the psychiatric patients. The only significant factor associated with violence among the male psychiatric patients in Pavilion 4 of NCMH were depressive symptoms e.g. blank stares, crying spells, being quiet and withdrawn with a relative risk of 0.67 at a confidence interval of 0.43-1.06, which means that being depressed can prevent one from committing a crime. Majority (65.8%) had a relapse of their psychiatric illness, with Schizophrenia being the most common diagnosis (51.9%). CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms can be considered as a protective factor against committing violent crimes.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Adult , Male , Patients , Psychiatry , Mental Health , Violence , Hallucinations , SchizophreniaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Since foreign detainees suffer multiple stresses, this study was conducted to determine the socio-demographic profile of those at the Bureau of Immigration (BID) Jail in Bicutan, Taguig, and Metro Manila as well as identify some of their mental health problems. METHODOLOGY: Foreign detainees at the BID Jail were interviewed. Their socio-demographic profile, length of stay in the Philippines and in jail, reason for travel, problems encountered, crimes committed and health problems encountered while in the country were tabulated. The Self- Reporting Questionnaire and the Anticipatory Cognition Questionnaire were used for identifying psychiatric problems. RESULTS: Of the 42 subjects the mean age was 37 years old. The most predominant nationality among the detainees was that of Indians (26.2%). Among those who were married, 25 (83.3%) were married to Filipino citizens. The highest educational attainment of the subjects was college. The predominant religions were Islam and Christianity. Twenty-six (61.9%) have stayed in the Philippines for four years or more and 25 (59.5%) at the BID jail for less than a year. Among the reasons for travel, the most common reason given by 45.2 percent of the population was for business purposes. Problems encountered while in the Philippines pertained mostly to legal matters. Most of them were detained because of overstaying, with some having a concomitant criminal case. Half of the subjects denied having any medical problems other than dermatological illnesses (21.4%). More than half (52.4%) of the foreign detainees were SRQ positive while 50 percent showed depressive symptoms based on the ACQ, both suggesting the high prevalence of anxiety and depression among the detainees interviewed. Psychosis was also noted in 28.6 percent of the subjects included in the study. CONCLUSION: Considering the high prevalence rates of depression, anxiety and psychosis among the subjects interviewed at the BID jail, it would be an act of medical negligence as well as a human rights violation not to address these while they are still detained at the BID jail.