Street Psychiatry: A Clinical Approach

Few populations bear a greater psychiatric burden than people who live on the street, yet many of these individuals do not seek care in traditional outpatient clinics. Street psychiatry is a form of clinical practice that brings mental health care to unsheltered people on sidewalks, park benches, and under bridges. However, the growth of the field has been hindered by a lack of published literature. To that end, the authors provide a framework for how to approach psychiatry on the street-including identifying homeless individuals, assessing their medical status, engaging them, formulating a psychiatric assessment and treatment plan, and integrating their care within the mainstream health care system.