Eight out of 10 young people in detention centres suffer with psychiatric problems, a new report revealed today.
One fifth of boys who offend have also had suicidal thoughts and attempted to take their lives, while more than half were abusing alcohol and drugs.
about one fifth of boys in the offender group were experiencing thoughts of suicide
The study found teenagers being detained experience very high rates of psychiatric disorders, engage in serious criminality, and have significant deficits in emotional intelligence and in cognitive ability.
Emotional Intelligence, Mental Health and Juvenile Delinquency was carried out by two academics from University College Dublin and is the first research of its kind in the world.
A total of 37 per cent of those questioned experienced internal psychiatric problems, such as anxiety disorders and depression, while 68 per cent met diagnostic criteria for external disruptive and conduct disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Dr Jennifer Margaret Hayes and Dr Gary O' Reilly compared young people in detention schools to those referred to a community psychiatry service and others who did not have offending or mental health problems.
Dr Hayes said that staff working in detention schools for young boys under 16 years can expect that approximately eight out of every ten boys in their care will meet diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder.
Multiple psychiatric problems were identified in detainees, with them experiencing almost three times as many psychiatric problems as boys who have been referred to a psychiatry service because their difficulties are considered so serious.
"Given the high rates of psychiatric difficulties it was not surprising that about one fifth of boys in the offender group were experiencing thoughts of suicide at the time of data collection, and that a similar number reported that they had attempted to take their lives on at least one occasion in the past," said Dr Hayes.
Substance use and dependency among young detainees raised concerns for the researchers. They found 56 per cent had at least one substance dependency disorder, with around the same number with addictions using cocaine, alcohol and cannabis.
A total of 77 per cent of the young people interviewed were detained in a different detention school on at least one other point in time, pointing to high rates of re-offending. Around one in three boys were serving time on foot of at least one violent crime, with a child having on average 11 charges made against them.