Prison meds reliance
June 10, 2016
Australian prisoners,
especially females, are taking more
medications for chronic diseases
and mental health conditions than
their age-related cohort in the
general community, according to a
new report released today by the
Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare (AIHW).
The report shows that about
half of all prisoners are taking
medications of some kind, with
many prisoners having complex
health conditions, at times
complicated by histories of trauma
combined with underlying chronic
and mental health conditions.
“Prisoners are largely considered
to be in poorer health than the
general community, and this
is reflected by the types and
quantities of medications taken,”
said AIHW spokesperson Mark
Cooper-Stanbury.
“Prisoners are nine times as
likely as the general community
to take antipsychotics, four times
as likely to take medications
used to treat addictive disorders,
and more than twice as likely to
take antidepressants or mood
stabilisers,” he added.
Among female prisoners,
26% took analgesics and 13%
took antipsychotic medication,
compared with 14% and 1%
respectively in the community but
the difference is less pronounced in
males, the report said.
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