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Safer communities; how the first forensic community mental health team helped improve mental health, battle stigma, and reduce offending

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

M.H. Siddiqui ,
S. Reagu  and
M. Al Abdulla
M.H. Siddiqui
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Psychiatry Department, Doha, Qatar
S. Reagu*
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Psychiatry Department, Doha, Qatar
M. Al Abdulla
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Psychiatry Department, Doha, Qatar
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Qatar established its Forensic Community Mental Health Team (FCMHT) in 2019 as part of the region’s first comprehensive forensic psychiatry service. We present here the data on clinical and offending outcomes since its establishment and compare this with data from before the service was established

Objectives

To compare clinical and offending outcomes in mental health patients with criminal offending histories in Qatar before and after the establishment of Forensic Community Mental Health Team (FCMHT).

Methods

This is a retrospective study comparing the socio-demographical characteristics, clinical outcome and recidivism measures of forensic patients, under the FCMHT for the last two years with data from a similar period before the services were in place.

Results

Data for 170 patients in total was analyzed. 85 patients currently under the active care of forensic community team were matched with a comparable group before the establishment of the services. The re-admission and reoffending rates after the establishment of the service over 1 year of follow up was 15% and 20% respectively compared with 60% and 85% of the group before the service.

Conclusions

Since its inception, the FCMHT has made significant positive impact on quality of life, mental well-being and safety of patients under its care. Close working relationships with criminal justice system, families and carers has helped fight stigma and promote safer community.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

Qatarforensic psychiatryreadmissionRecidivism
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S600 - S601
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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