Forensic Psychiatric Patients : A Comparison between Hawaii and Japan

概要

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This descriptive study investigated the characteristics of forensic patients hospitalized more than one year in a mental hospital in Tokyo and Hawaii. There were 64 Hawaiian and 30 Japanese subjects. Using a survey instrument the medical records were assessed for such factors as crime committed, nursing diagnoses, and reasons why the patients remain hospitalized. The study revealed Japan has more forensic patients who committed murder and their conditions are more unstable than the Hawaii patients. In Hawaii the patients tend to remain hospitalized because of a not guilty because of an insanity plea and in Japan because the patients are clinically unstable. An additional factor contributing to longer hospitalization in Japan is societal prejudice against the mentally ill. As in the US, Japanese physicians are also very cautious about evaluating patients' medical conditions since violent behavior is difficult to predict. In both countries there is a need for mental health programs capable of successfully managing patients who are clinically stable in community settings.
山梨大学の論文