Suicide is a major public health concern and a global phenomenon among all groups of people. There is a higher prevalence of suicidal ideations, suicide attempts, and deaths by suicide among incarcerated individuals as compared to the general population. This contributes to a major burden of morbidity and mortality among the prisoners worldwide. It is seen that the interplay between the pre-existing vulnerabilities, exacerbated by prison-specific stressors, which may culminate in the risk of suicide becoming action (i.e., the transition from ideations to suicidal attempt) in this already vulnerable population. This problem is compounded by a lack of resources especially in low- and middle-income countries. The management and prevention of suicide among prisoners through the implementation of targeted interventions aimed at high-risk prisoners in combination with universal strategies that help promote the mental health and well-being of all the people in prisons are urgently needed. There is also a need for policy development at the global level that can be implemented in all prisons worldwide to guide governments and various stakeholders in achieving this. In this chapter, we discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, theoretical models, and special considerations to keep in mind while planning management and prevention strategies for suicide among prisoners.

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Suicidal Behavior Among Prisoners

  • Pawan Sharma,
  • Swarndeep Singh,
  • Arghya Pal

摘要

Suicide is a major public health concern and a global phenomenon among all groups of people. There is a higher prevalence of suicidal ideations, suicide attempts, and deaths by suicide among incarcerated individuals as compared to the general population. This contributes to a major burden of morbidity and mortality among the prisoners worldwide. It is seen that the interplay between the pre-existing vulnerabilities, exacerbated by prison-specific stressors, which may culminate in the risk of suicide becoming action (i.e., the transition from ideations to suicidal attempt) in this already vulnerable population. This problem is compounded by a lack of resources especially in low- and middle-income countries. The management and prevention of suicide among prisoners through the implementation of targeted interventions aimed at high-risk prisoners in combination with universal strategies that help promote the mental health and well-being of all the people in prisons are urgently needed. There is also a need for policy development at the global level that can be implemented in all prisons worldwide to guide governments and various stakeholders in achieving this. In this chapter, we discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, theoretical models, and special considerations to keep in mind while planning management and prevention strategies for suicide among prisoners.