Homelessness and mental illness

Abstract

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to summarize findings of the literature on homelessness and mental illness published in 2002. Recent findingsResearchers focused on different topics concerning homelessness including physical and mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia, substance abuse and psychiatric comorbidity), risk factors, treatment and services. Although there are several methodological problems in homelessness research, many studies still use convenience samples, which may not be representative of the population of homeless individuals in a certain area. Summary It is encouraging that many researchers are interested in the special needs of homeless people, who are very impaired in many areas. It is important to take into account the complex factors that prevent them from being engaged in treatment. Methodologically sound investigations are needed to assess homeless people's needs and existing treatment facilities need improvements and probably reorganization in order to successfully meet these needs.

Incarceration Associated With Homelessness, Mental Disorder, and Co-occurring Substance Abuse

“…The finding that homeless people with mental disorders who are in jail have a higher rate of co-occurring substance-related disorders than those who are not homeless is consistent with research in other settings (13,14). The increased comorbidity of substance-related disorders and severe mental disorders among homeless people who enter the criminal justice system represents a challenge for intervention, given evidence that such comorbidity predicts decreased treatment adherence (15).…”

“…The increased comorbidity of substance-related disorders and severe mental disorders among homeless people who enter the criminal justice system represents a challenge for intervention, given evidence that such comorbidity predicts decreased treatment adherence (15). It is possible that other methods, such as structured diagnostic interviews or longitudinal follow-up, would identify even higher rates (14). It is possible that other methods, such as structured diagnostic interviews or longitudinal follow-up, would identify even higher rates (14).…”

Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Homeless Adults in Sydney

“…Consequently, the sample included primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of homelessness. This is particularly advantageous because most homelessness studies rely on samples from shelter populations, making it difficult to generalize the results [47]. An additional strength was that extensive in-depth interviews included measures with sound psychometric properties.…”

“…There was a high prevalence of psychosis, alcohol and other drug use problems, probable pathological gambling, depression, anxiety, and stress. These high rates of comorbidity can be explained generally by studies on the prevalence of mental illness in homeless individuals, which show that rates are much higher than in community samples [47], [49]. The very high rates of psychosis were also documented in other Australian marginalized samples [50].…”

Improving Homeless Point-In-Time Counts: Uncovering the Marginally Housed

“…Conducting research within institutional settings can be problematic due to the power dynamics between service providers and their homeless clients. Research overrepresents interpretations by authority figures, social service workers, advocates, and local officials (Bachrach 1984;Huey, Fthenos, and Hryniewicz 2012;Salkow and Fichter 2003;Snow, Anderson, and Koegel 2002;Snow, Baker, and Anderson 1988). Other researchers have focused on states' efforts to implement services that merely manage the visibility of urban homelessness (Willse 2015) or control them through geographic confinement (Stuart 2011(Stuart , 2016.…”