FUNDAMENTAL FACTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH 2016

• The most prevalent health problems
among homeless individuals are
substance misuse (62.5%), mental
health problems (53.7%) or a
combination of the two (42.6%).
In England, given that these
problems are causally linked with
homelessness, they add significantly
more costs to homelessness due
to the need for health and social
care support. Unfortunately, the
exact figure of estimated costs is
unavailable at present. 343
2.2.7.2 The prison population
• Prisoners have been shown to have
significantly higher rates of mental
health problems than the general
population (see table below). 344
• In a survey for England and
Wales published in 2012, it was
found that 36% of prisoners are
considered to have a disability and/
or mental health problem. The
survey found that 18% of prisoners
report symptoms of anxiety and
depression, 11% report a form of
physical disability, and 8% report
both (the figures have been rounded
and therefore do not add up to
36%). 345
• Data from the same survey found
that, at the time of measuring,
49% of female prisoners reported
experiencing anxiety and
depression, compared with 23%
of men. It’s important to note that
there was no differentiation between
whether the individuals had these
problems before entering prison or
as a result of being in prison. 346
• In a 2013 survey of 1,435 prisoners,
covering both England and Wales,
it was found that 29% of prisoners
who reported recent drug use also
indicated experiencing anxiety and
depression, compared with 20% of
prisoners who did not report recent
drug use. 347
• A report on UK prisons by HM
Inspectorate of Prisons UK in
2011 found that up to one in three
prisoners tested positive in random
drug tests, and 13% developed a
drug problem while in prison. 348
Prisoners
General population
Schizophrenia and
delusional disorder
8% 0.5%
Personality disorder 66% 5.3%
Neurotic disorder (e.g.
depression)
45% 13.8%
Drug dependency 45% 5.2%
Alcohol dependency 30% 11.5%
54