Prevalence of and Gender Differences in Psychiatric Disorders Among Juvenile Delinquents Incarcerated for Nine Months Niranjan S. Karnik, M.D., Ph.D. Marie Soller, M.D. Allison Redlich, Ph.D. Melissa Silverman, B.A. Helena C. Kraemer, Ph.D. Rudy Haapanen, Ph.D. Hans Steiner, M.D.
Objective: This study examined prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders among young offenders after they were incarcerated for nine months. Methods: A total of 790 youths were surveyed, including a significant proportion of females (N=140, 18%), nine months after incarceration. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV with portions of the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents and the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality were used. Results: Even when conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder were excluded, 88% of males and 92% of females had a psychiatric disorder (including Dr. Karnik is affiliated with the Department of Anthropology, History, and Social Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California St., Suite 485, San Francisco, CA 94143 (e-mail:
[email protected]). Dr. Soller is with the Department of Psychiatry, San Mateo Medical Center, San Mateo, California. Dr. Redlich is with the School of Criminal Justice, University of Albany, Albany, New York. Ms. Silverman is with the College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Dr. Kraemer and Dr. Steiner are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California. Dr. Haapanen is with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Sacramento, California. 838
substance use disorder); more than 80% of offenders met criteria for some type of substance use disorder. Gender differences were found for anxiety disorders (males 26%, females 55%, p
