Forensic Directors from across the nation have noted that they are experiencing a rise in the number of forensic patients that they are treating within their state psychiatric hospitals. A recent study by Amanda Wik, Vera Hollen, and William Fisher published by CNS Spectrums is the first document that examines trends in the state psychiatric hospital forensic population using hospital-level longitudinal data.
The study looked at the number of forensic patients served by each state’s psychiatric hospitals from 1999 through 2016. The study focuses on the results for the overall forensic population, pre-trial evaluation patients, and defendants found incompetent to stand trial who received a court order for competency restoration services at both the state and national level. Overall, the nation has seen a 76% rise in the number of forensic patients served by state psychiatric hospitals between 1999 and 2014. The largest increase was seen amongst the patients receiving competency restoration services.
This study, to-date, is the only comprehensive national study examining the forensic composition of state psychiatric hospitals. The article is currently available online through CNS Spectrums.