Advocates working to get ‘PICS’ named a public health crisis

Spectrum News and WVXU highlighted the research partnership of the University of Cincinnati's Rachael Nolan and community advocate Chazidy Robinson who are working to raise awareness and recognition of post-incarceration syndrome (PICS).

Through a checklist and interviews, the team is developing a fuller view of the symptomatology of PICS. While every person experiences PICS in a unique way, Robinson said there are five major components:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Institutionalized personality traits such as distrusting others, difficulty maintaining relationships and problems making decisions
• Antisocial personality traits
• Social sensory deprivation syndrome
• Substance abuse disorder

“These things are like self isolation, putting their back against the wall, checking behaviors,” said Nolan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Environmental & Public Health Sciences in UC’s College of Medicine. “Currently, we found that there is obviously a high incidence of PICS.”

Long term, the team wants PICS to be recognized in the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and declared a public health crisis.

“When racism was declared a public health crisis, we had a lot of programs, a lot of funding, a lot of opportunities went up to really help address this within society, the same thing needs to happen here,” Nolan said.

In the meantime, they are continuing their research and implementing a 12-week program to help people affected by PICS today.

“I want people to understand that there is light at the end of the tunnel and I know there are millions of people just like me,” said Robinson.

UC's Samantha Boch, PhD, joined Nolan and Robinson on WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to discuss recent research she conducted that found about 2.2% of youth seen at Cincinnati Children's Hospital between January 2009 and December 2020 likely had a parent incarcerated or faced some type of confinement as a juvenile. However, this small percentage was also responsible for a disproportionate number of physical and mental health diagnoses and health care visits. 

“Our data reflects families who disclosed and health providers who documented,” said Boch, assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing. “Families who refrain from disclosing or whose information is not documented were not represented which is a key limitation. This study is an attempt to uncover the size of the impact of mass incarceration on youth health in Cincinnati. Our health care systems and correctional systems clearly overlap and impact the lives of children. "

Watch the Spectrum News interview.

Listen to the segment on WVXU's Cincinnati Edition.

Read more about the PICS research.

Read more about Boch's research.

Featured photo at top of a prison corridor. Photo/Rawf8/iStock.