Is homelessness a mental health problem?

Seventy-eight homeless men, women, and children staying at an emergency shelter were interviewed. The vast majority were found to have severe psychological illnesses that largely remained untreated. Approximately 91% were given primary psychiatric diagnoses: About 40% had psychoses, 29% were chronic alcoholics, and 21% had personality disorders. Approximately one-third had been hospitalized for psychiatric care. The authors discuss the relationship of mental health policy to the homeless and suggest that shelters have become alternative institutions to meet the needs of mentally ill people who are no longer cared for by departments of mental health.