Staff and patient perspectives on the purpose of psychotropic prescribing in prisons: care or control?

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to explore perspectives on reasons for psychotropic medication use in prisons.

METHOD

We recruited a purposive sample of healthcare staff and patients prescribed psychotropic medicines from four East of England prisons. Participants took part in qualitative, semistructured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed and analyzed thematically.

RESULTS

While patients and healthcare staff viewed psychotropic medicines primarily as a treatment for reducing symptoms of mental illness, they were also used as a coping strategy and to reduce insomnia. Appropriate psychotropic prescribing was also thought to contribute towards the rehabilitation agenda and helped to maintain order in prisons. Staff voiced concerns regarding possible overreliance on psychotropic medicines. However, patients perceived insufficient access to alternative, nonpharmacological forms of treatment and support in prison.

CONCLUSION

Psychotropic medicines are used for multiple purposes in prisons and are generally considered a useful resource. Nonetheless, further work may be needed to find the right balance between psychotropic medicines and alternative, nonpharmacological therapies.