RDN praised for support of research to improve mental health in prisons

Community VISION is one of the partners working on the Amicable Study with the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN).

The RDN has been praised for its ‘invaluable’ work in delivering research designed to help improve the mental health of people in custody.

The RDN supports several studies in prisons as part of our aim to ensure everyone across the country has the opportunity to take part in research that might be suitable for them.

This includes the AMICABLE study which is being carried out with men and women in 6 prisons in England. The study has been established to address the fact that people in prison experience higher levels of common mental health problems than in the general population and are more likely to struggle when released and more likely to return to prison.

Some people in custody receive treatment for their mental health problems but many do not because resources are scarce. Current treatments focus on the individual, but recent evidence has suggested a more holistic prison-based approach. The AMICABLE study, led by the University of York, is evaluating the effectiveness of a systematic peer-led Problem Support Mentor Scheme (PSMS) that is easy to deliver and is disseminated across the whole of a prison site.

For more information: https://rdn.nihr.ac.uk/news/rdn-praised-support-research-improve-mental-health-prisons