Prevalence represents the overall proportion of individuals in a population who have the disorder of interest. It is different from incidence, which represents only the new cases that have developed over a particular time period. Point prevalence is the proportion of individuals who have the disorder at a given point in time. Period prevalence is the proportion of individuals who have the disorder over specific time periods. Lifetime prevalence is the proportion of individuals who have ever had the disorder. Lifetime morbid risk also includes those who had the disorder but were deceased at the time of the survey.

What is the evidence for the prevalence of PTSD in forensic settings?

Moderate quality evidence finds the point prevalence in male prisoners is 6.2%, and in female prisoners it is 21.1%. One-year prevalence in male prisoners is 9.9%, and in female prisoners it is 26.1%. Lifetime prevalence in male prisoners is 17.8%, and in female prisoners it is 40.4%. These rates are significantly higher in females than males, and are also significantly higher in studies conducted in high-income countries when compared to low income countries.

Moderate quality evidence finds the point prevalence of PTSD in adolescent males in detention centres is 8.6%, and it is 18.2% in adolescent females in detention centres. Moderate to low quality evidence finds the point prevalence of PTSD older prisoners (>50 years) is 6.2% (males and females combined).

August 2021

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Prevalence quantifies the proportion of individuals in a population who have a disorder during a specific time period, while incidence refers to the number of new cases that develop in a population during a specific time period. In disorders of short duration, incidence and prevalence rates may be similar, however with disorders of long duration, such as bipolar disorder, there can be variation between the two. Current, or ‘point’ prevalence is the proportion of individuals who have the disorder at a given point in time, ‘period’ prevalence measures the proportion of individuals who have the disorder during a specified period (e.g. 1 year), a ‘lifetime’ prevalence is the proportion of individuals in the population who have ever had the disorder.

What is the evidence regarding prevalence of bipolar disorder in forensic settings?

Moderate to high quality evidence finds the prevalence of bipolar disorder in older prisoners (> 50 years) is around 4.5%, from studies conducted in the USA.

No reviews were identified that assessed rates in other age groups or regions.

October 2021

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Prevalence measures the proportion of individuals who have a disorder at a particular point in time (point prevalence) or during a specified period (annual prevalence, lifetime prevalence) and this may vary across regions. It is distinct from incidence, which refers to how many new cases there are per population in a specified time period.

What is the evidence for the prevalence of schizophrenia in forensic settings?

Moderate to high quality evidence suggests the overall prevalence of any psychotic disorder in prisoners is around 3.6%. There were higher prevalence rates in low- to middle-income countries (5.5-6.2%) than in high-income countries (3.5%). The rate of any non-affective psychotic disorder was 15.8 times higher in prisoners in low and middle-income countries than in the general population.

Moderate to high quality evidence finds the prevalence of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders in older prisoners (> 50 years) is around 5.5%, from studies conducted in the USA, UK, and France.

Among adolescents in juvenile forensic settings, moderate to high quality evidence finds the prevalence rate of any psychotic disorder is 2.7% for males and 2.9% for females.

Among offenders on probation, moderate to low quality evidence finds the prevalence of schizophrenia ranges between 1.7% and 30%.

April 2022

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