A point prevalence study of alcoholism and mental illness among downtown migrants

Since the 1960s the bulk of America's mentally ill have been deinstitutionalized to the community. A number of these people now live in the downtown areas of large cities in close association with the established vagrant culture which includes a significant portion of alcohol abusers. The bizarre and impoverished nature of the lives of these formerly institutionalized mentally ill citizens, coupled with their propinquity to government and business establishments, creates a social policy dilemma. A point prevalence study design was used to ascertain the demographic, physical, mental illness and alcohol abuse characteristics of a sample of a vagrant population which inhabits the downtown area of an American Northwest urban community. Analysis of the data of a sample of vagrants who frequent an emergency shelter and a single residence occupancy hotel demonstrated that the two groups were similar. Participants were predominantly male, white and in their mid thirties. Forty percent had never married and over 50% were high school educated and possess labor skills. Grouped data indicates that, in view of the dearth of literature describing the relationship of mentally illness and alcohol abuse, the psychiatric and alcohol use behavior of deinstitutionalized populations requires further study.