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The purpose of this paper is to increase our understanding of the role of mental disorder in sexual offending as well as identifying innovations in assessment and treatment with offenders who present with these typically complex risks and needs.

The converging literatures on “good lives” and other developments in sexual offender treatment are compared with recovery from mental disorder and what is known about the particular needs and characteristics of sexual offenders with mental illness and severe personality disorder (PD).

A key outcome of this review is that many mentally disordered sexual offenders have similar needs to those in prison and the community but there are particular challenges posed by severe PD, paraphilias and the relatively rare individuals whose offending is functionally linked to psychotic symptoms.

Practical implications include the need for case formulation of complex needs related to mental disorder using direct and indirect measures of attitudes and interests. Treatment needs to be responsive to very different personality and mental health presentations as well as problems with offending and cognitive schemas. Direct functional links between mental health symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations are very rare in practice and are usually secondary to PD and sexual offending issues. In practice, treatment promoting recovery from mental disorder is highly compatible with the “good lives” approach to sexual offender treatment. Staff development, supervision and support are particularly important for staff treating mentally disordered sexual offenders.

It is argued that mentally disordered sexual offenders are an under-researched sub-group within the wider sexual offender population. This paper brings together the relatively limited literature on treatment with examples of recent treatment innovations, multi-modal assessment approaches and reviews of research on the needs of this relatively uncommon but highly risky group.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the mental health literacy of students. This study is part of the growing interest in mental health literacy among young people.

Over 400 university students indicated their knowledge of over 90 psychiatric illnesses labels derived from DSM:IV. They rated disorders on six questions concerning whether they had heard of the disorder; knew anybody with it; could define or describe it; knew what causes it; whether those with it can be cured; and whether it is common.

On average, participants had heard of just over one‐third of the various illnesses. Those who rated the conditions as more common deemed them to have more known causes and to be more curable. Emotionally intelligent, open‐to‐experience females who had studied relevant academic subjects claimed to be better informed. The participant's age and personality, as well as whether they had studied clinical psychology, related to their awareness.

The paper favours recognition of mental disorders over an attempt to understand how well young people understand mental illness.

No study has attempted this methodology in the study of mental health literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the success of an initiative involving the transformation of a group of small substance use treatment only or mental health treatment only provider agencies serving uninsured adults into providers of co-occurring disorder treatment.

The paper uses a case study narrative to describe the initiative and the transformation of the participant agencies from being providers of mental health or substance use treatment to providers of co-occurring disorders.

Six agencies serving uninsured adults expanded their scope of patient treatment services to include the capacity to treat adults with co-occurring disorders. This was achieved with modest support funding from a local foundation. The initiative has been ongoing for five years.

The outcome of this initiative demonstrates the financial and practical feasibility of improving and expanding treatment services to low-resourced patient populations. The participating agencies were able to improve their capacity to treat patients with substance use or mental health issues that previously they were not prepared to treat and thus increased their ability to provide integrated care.

The initiative described here shows that the treatment of concomitant substance use and mental health disorders is within the range of many small-scale treatment providers, if provided the leadership and support. Delivery of effective treatments to populations experiencing co-occurring disorders that are underserved and undertreated are achievable in community-based clinical practices. This has implications for developing treatment capacity outside of hospital settings to enable treatment of co-occurring disorders to become more accessible.

According to the German penal code, offenders can basically be sanctioned to a prison sentence or (in cases of misdemeanours) to a fine. If an offender is sentenced to a fine, but is not able or willing to make the payment, then the German state can administer a custodial sentence as a replacement. This is called an “Ersatzfreiheitsstrafe” (EFS). The proportion of EFS prisoners accounts for 10% of the German prison population and thus appears to be strikingly high considering the consequences of an imprisonment for the detainee. It has been considered that this is due to high levels of mental disorders in the population of EFS prisoners. This article thus aims at delineating the prevalence of mental disorders in EFS prisoners according to socio‐demographic data and ICD‐10 diagnoses of two recent German studies. Results of these studies indicate that EFS prisoners indeed are for the most part socially and economically deprived and show a high prevalence of mental disorders. It is argued that their resulting lack of social competence may lead to incapability of avoiding their fee being converted into a prison sentence. As a consequence EFSs have to be seen as supporting social stigmatization and risking a further exclusion from society.

Abstract Steps have been taken towards improving the support given by the mental health workforce to those with personality disorder. But there is more to be done. This article argues that personality disorder is a significant public health challenge and not simply an issue for mental health and criminal justice services.

Mental health professionals working with patients with personality disorder are at risk of burnout. Burnout can adversely affect workforce retention and the delivery of high-quality care. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the three-day Knowledge and Understanding Framework (KUF) awareness-level personality disorder training on burnout, knowledge and attitudes in staff working in mental health settings.

A total of 253 mental health professionals attended the KUF training, delivered through a co-production model (i.e. co-delivered by a mental health professional and service user consultant with lived experience). Questionnaires were administered at pre- and post-training to assess changes in burnout symptoms and understanding, perceived capabilities and emotional reactions concerning personality disorder.

There were improvements in two burnout domains: decreases in emotional exhaustion (p = 0.009) and increases in personal accomplishment (p < 0.001) between pre-and post-training. Significant improvements were found in understanding, perceived capabilities and emotional reactions (p < 0.001).

This evaluation is limited by a lack of a control group and long-term follow-up. Further research is required to investigate the sustainability of reductions in burnout for mental health professionals attending training and supervision structures.

KUF training may contribute to reductions in the high levels of burnout often experienced amongst staff working in mental health settings and could form a part of a broader strategy focussing on continued supervision and opportunities to integrate learning into practice.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are lifelong developmental disorders that are characterised by abnormalities in reciprocal social interaction and communication and stereotyped behaviours and repetitive interests (ICD‐10: World Health Organization, 1992). Although many people with ASD function without support in the community, outcome studies suggest that rates of employment and independent living are poor. Services often need to provide support in the areas of housing, social, occupational, leisure and emotional function. Additionally, ASDs can be associated with high rates of co‐morbid mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety and obsessive‐compulsive disorders. This paper aims to describe the current situation regarding clinical services and what is required from these services to address co‐morbid mental health needs in adults with an ASD.

There are few studies of quality but all indications are that mental illness is a common problem in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) of all ability levels. Anxiety and mood disorder are common as well as paranoia, but there are problems assessing the phenomenology of illness in people with ASD. Schizophrenia does not appear to be more common in people with ASD. Suggestions are made for assessment and treatment of co‐morbid mental illnesses.

The purpose of this paper is to inform the development of an evidence-based and effective rehabilitation programme to address substance use disorders in a population of patients with severe mental illness and mental disorders detained in a secure forensic psychiatric facility. A clinical review identified a high prevalence of substance use disorders in the patient population at a secure forensic facility in Sydney, Australia with only a limited number of patients being assessed and offered interventions for substance use problems.

A literature review was undertaken specifically looking at articles between 2009 and 2017 that considered models of care or approaches to substance use rehabilitation in patients with co-morbid psychiatric disorders. Articles were considered based on their relevance to the purpose and the environment of a secure forensic facility.

The literature review emphasised the need for a cohesive model of care integrating substance use rehabilitation with mental health care. Comprehensive assessment and individualised approaches that incorporated patient choice and stages of change were considered essential components to any dual diagnosis rehabilitation programme.

The literature regarding rehabilitation approaches for those with severe mental illness and co-morbid substance use disorders was reasonably consistent with the models of care used in relation to criminal offenders and mental illness generally. Integrated and individualised rehabilitation approaches for dual diagnosis patients could play a significant role in forensic settings.

Limited robust evidence for substance use rehabilitation has been published. The authors consider the existing evidence base and the underlying theory behind substance use rehabilitation to propose a model for rehabilitation in secure forensic settings. This is the first known review of substance use rehabilitation involving mentally ill offenders with dual diagnoses in secure forensic settings. This paper is the original work of the authors.