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Pathways to homelessness among the mentally ill
G Sullivan1, A Burnam, P Koegel
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA. sullivangreer@exchange.uams.edu
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
|December 29, 2000
Summary
Mental illness is a vulnerability for homelessness, but not the sole cause. Childhood disadvantage and family instability significantly increase risk for mentally ill individuals experiencing homelessness.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background:
- Individuals with mental illness are disproportionately represented within the homeless population.
- Mental illness is one of several factors contributing to homelessness risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pathways to homelessness for individuals with mental illness.
- To compare pathways across mentally ill homeless, non-mentally ill homeless, and housed mentally ill populations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from RAND's Course of Homelessness (COH) study and the Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) survey.
- Compared and contrasted demographic and historical data of three distinct groups.
Main Results:
- Homeless individuals share backgrounds of socioeconomic disadvantage.
- Mentally ill homeless individuals often experience a "double dose" of disadvantage, including poverty and childhood family instability/violence.
- Those who experienced homelessness before mental illness onset showed higher disadvantage; those who became homeless after illness onset had higher rates of alcohol dependence.
Conclusions:
- Mental illness can initiate homelessness for some but is rarely the sole cause.
- Interventions should target children and address broader societal causes of homelessness.
- Outreach and treatment for adult mentally ill homeless individuals are crucial.