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Published on: November 21, 2013
High positive psychiatric screening rates in an urban homeless population
Aravind Ganesh1, David J T Campbell, Janette Hurley
1Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. aravindganeshy@yahoo.ca
Objective:
To carry out a preliminary assessment of the use of a psychiatric screening tool in an urban homeless population, and to estimate the potential prevalence of undiagnosed and (or) unmanaged mental illness in this population.
Methods:
Participants (n = 166) were recruited from the Calgary Drop-in and Rehab Centre to complete a questionnaire containing 6 modules screening for common psychiatric disorders. Summary statistics were used in the analysis.
Results:
Only 12 respondents (7%) screened negative on each of the 6 modules. The screening process determined that 60.2% of the sample (n = 100) had probable mental illness but reported no history of psychiatric diagnosis or treatment.
Conclusions:
A straightforward application of screening (in which screen-positive subjects are referred for assessment) would be difficult in this population as most will screen positive. The results highlight the tremendous burden of psychiatric symptoms in this population.
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