Why and how should we care about homeless youth suffering from severe mental illnesses?

Abstract

In homeless youth, severe mental illness is an endemic and a serious issue that profoundly impacts this vulnerable population and warrants specific, comprehensive interventions. This chapter reviews the phenomenon, including the mutual interaction between youth homelessness and severe mental illness, its epidemiology, and its broad psychosocial associated factors. It describes the numerous barriers (such as those associated with homeless youth experiences and characteristics as well as social and health services organization) to mental health services related to suboptimal utilization of existing facilities and shortcomings in accessing them for homeless youth with severe mental illness. The chapter also describes factors facilitating access and summarizes efforts that have been made internationally to address these barriers through a rethinking of services organization and by implementation of specific interventions aimed at homeless youth and related populations with severe mental illnesses.