Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Introduction: Health, as defined by World Health Organization, is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1978). In Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, mental health is defined as the successful performance of mental functions, in terms of thought, mood, and behavior that results in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with others, and the ability to adapt to change and to cope with adversity. Material and Methods: After taking written permission from jail authorities the Director General, Prison, Rajasthan, Jaipur through the Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner study was carried out at Central Jail, Bikaner accordingly the due consent obtained from the Superintendent, central jail, Bikaner. After randomization, assessment of Sociodemographic details was done with the help of semi-structured performa and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders was assessed with the help of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The cases were reviewed for final assessment by the consultants of psychiatry department, Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner. Results: Results shows prisoners in the age group of 21- 30 years constitutes major part of the sample 100 (42.9%), followed by subjects in the age group of 31-40 years 59 (25.3%). The sample comprises of mostly male prisoners 228 (97.9%) and very few females 5 (2.1%). shows the rural group forms the largest domicile group of 166 subjects. Conclusion: We conclude that the sociodemographic attributes it was found that majority of the prisoners were males. Most of them fell in age group 20 to 40 years were Hindus (79.8%) and married (53.6%). About two third of prisoners were of rural background and majority of them belonged to lower and lower middle socioeconomic class (56.2%). Key words: Mental disorders, Psychology, prisoners etc.