Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Prisoners Following a Cell Mate’s Hanging

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a well recognized condition which occurs in people who have been exposed to severe trauma. A review of case notes of all prisoners transferred since 1988 to a national forensic psychiatric hospital following traumatic hanging events in prison revealed that all patients had psychological symptoms & 4 had symptoms probably fulfilling DSM-III-R criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Findings are discussed with reference to the literature on this disorder, the nature of the prison environment, the premorbid personality of the prisoners, & the implications for dealing with the effect of suicide within a prison setting. (17 refs.)