Untreated Schizophrenia Raises Risk of Violence, Study Finds

That is the title of this article I am writing about. “A study that tracked released prisoners convicted of violent crimes found that mental health treatment affected rates of subsequent violence among those with schizophrenia.  Most of the 967 prisoners in the study had no psychosis at about nine months after their release.  However, 94 were diagnosed with schizophrenia, 29 with delusional disorder, and 102 with drug-induced psychosis.  After adjusting for demographic factors, psychiatric comorbidities, and substance use, former prisoners whose schizophrenia was untreated during or after imprisonment were found to be three times more likely to be violent after their release than were prisoners who received psychosis treatment or those without psychosis, wrote Robert Keers, Ph.D., of Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues.” They did not get treatment.  That reminds me of me, when I was locked up the second time for a crime I should not have been locked up for.

The counselor I had told me I was a danger to myself and others.  She did not tell me why or what I could do to get help.  She also told me she was not going to allow me to parole.  I knew I was getting out on appeal they did not believe me because all inmates say that.  I was for real.  They should have told me even though I probably would have laughed at them it would not have been such a surprise down the road. “The fact that a prisoner was untreated for psychosis should be considered a risk factor for violent recidivism, they concluded.”  That is true I hope for those that follow do not have to get out of prison only to end up back there or in the state hospital as I did.  My first breakdown was in prison and the counselor I am talking about was at the second facility I was at just waiting for my appeal when I broke down and had a mental illness after being place in solitary confinement.
Then I went to the infirmary and the psychiatrist listen to my story and was going to declare I was insane but changed his mind and just thought it happened because I was not sleeping.  He put me on a sleep medication called halcyon.  They placed me right there behind the walls because he asked where I would like to go and I said there.  The counselor knew why I was there and I was no longer the same inmate I was when I first entered the place. I went back to the infirmary one more time because I just was not myself anymore.  Little did I know I would never be myself ever again.  I was fighting the stress of making it without going back to prison.  Because the two years I did waiting for my appeal was the hardest time I ever did in prison.
My crime I did to get sent to the state hospital was the worse and yes in could be qualified as violent.  It is the worse crime I ever did that is why I do not talk about it.  The hardest time I did in jail was following that crime waiting to go to the state hospital although I did not know that was where I was going I was insane.  As for hating the state hospital I always will and that will keep me from ever going back there and being insane will always keep me medication compliant because I never want to go through that again.  The state hospital even though I do not like it, it showed that time and groups and learning about yourself and mental illness you can change your life around for the good.  You have to think that a person know matter that they do not think they make a difference they do.  If I would have stayed drinking and drugging would I have met my grandchildren and have them on weekends to share my life.  I do not know but am extremely happy no matter what I went through to get here.  I also have the wisdom to make sure my grandkids do not end up like I was. To read that story here is the link.