The qualifications and careers of psychiatrists, psychologists, social scientists and nurses interested in forensic mental health research

摘要

This article focuses on 520 persons - the 139 psychiatrists (102 men and 37 women), the 196 psychologists (103 men and 93 women) and the 185 social scientists, nurses and others (105 men and 80 women) - who were either successful applicants to the NHS Forensic Mental Health Programme over the 12-year period (1996-2007 inclusive) of its existence or had applied to the three Responsive Funding Schemes offered in 2003, 2004 and 2005 by the Programme. These persons are considered to be representative of the current forensic mental health research community in the UK. The article considers their demographic characteristics, their employment status and their academic qualifications. In terms of the future of forensic mental health research, the study suggests that the problem in the UK is likely to be maintaining the interest of these researchers in forensic matters rather than a dearth of talent.