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Tracing patients from acute psychiatric wards
D Double1, R MacPherson, T Wong
1Department of Psychiatry, Sheffield University, Northern General Hospital, UK.
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
|September 1, 1993
Summary
A 1985 Sheffield study found no psychiatric patients discharged from hospital were homeless five years later. This suggests the number of individuals with mental illness consistently living on streets or in shelters is relatively small post-discharge.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Social Medicine
Background:
- Homelessness is often associated with severe mental illness.
- Previous research suggests a high prevalence of mental health conditions among homeless populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term housing status of individuals discharged from acute psychiatric wards.
- To assess the proportion of psychiatric patients who become homeless after hospital discharge.
Main Methods:
- A random sample of patients admitted to Sheffield acute psychiatric wards in 1985 was selected.
- Follow-up assessment of housing status was conducted five years post-discharge.
Main Results:
- Contrary to expectations, none of the traced patients were found to be homeless five years later.
- The number of discharged psychiatric patients living on the streets or in shelters was found to be a small proportion of all discharges.
Conclusions:
- The study indicates that long-term homelessness among individuals discharged from psychiatric care in Sheffield is not as prevalent as might be anticipated.
- While mental illness may be common in the homeless population, the number of former psychiatric patients experiencing chronic homelessness appears limited.