| Summary: | Background: Awareness of mental health issues is on the rise among the general population and other disadvantaged populations such as homeless, migrants, and prisoners. Prisoners are a minority whose mental health needs are usually neglected. In comparison to the research done abroad, India has few studies published in this population, and hence, it becomes more important to focus on them to understand better. Materials and Methods: A Boolean search of articles published from January 2000 to December 2017 in electronic database of PubMed and Google Scholar was carried out, and original research studies done on mental health in prisoners were incorporated in the current review. Case reports and review articles were excluded from the current review. Results: A total of 12 research studies were included for the review and classified into prevalence of mental disorders and drug abuse in prisons, clinical features, and factors affecting mental health in prison. Conclusion: The number of studies in India is comparatively less than other countries. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders such as substance use, schizophrenia, depression, adjustment issues, and suicidal risk is considerably high. Hence, it is necessary to study the various factors predisposing prisoners to mental health issues and effective treatment options for better delivery of mental health among prisoners.
|
|---|