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Gutwinski S, Schreiter S, Deutscher K, Fazel S. The prevalence of mental disorders among homeless people in high-income countries: An updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis. PLoS Med 2021; 18:e1003750. [PMID: 34424908 PMCID: PMC8423293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Homelessness continues to be a pressing public health concern in many countries, and mental disorders in homeless persons contribute to their high rates of morbidity and mortality. Many primary studies have estimated prevalence rates for mental disorders in homeless individuals. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the prevalence of any mental disorder and major psychiatric diagnoses in clearly defined homeless populations in any high-income country. METHODS AND FINDINGS We systematically searched for observational studies that estimated prevalence rates of mental disorders in samples of homeless individuals, using Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar. We updated a previous systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in 2007, and searched until 1 April 2021. Studies were included if they sampled exclusively homeless persons, diagnosed mental disorders by standardized criteria using validated methods, provided point or up to 12-month prevalence rates, and were conducted in high-income countries. We identified 39 publications with a total of 8,049 participants. Study quality was assessed using the JBI critical appraisal tool for prevalence studies and a risk of bias tool. Random effects meta-analyses of prevalence rates were conducted, and heterogeneity was assessed by meta-regression analyses. The mean prevalence of any current mental disorder was estimated at 76.2% (95% CI 64.0% to 86.6%). The most common diagnostic categories were alcohol use disorders, at 36.7% (95% CI 27.7% to 46.2%), and drug use disorders, at 21.7% (95% CI 13.1% to 31.7%), followed by schizophrenia spectrum disorders (12.4% [95% CI 9.5% to 15.7%]) and major depression (12.6% [95% CI 8.0% to 18.2%]). We found substantial heterogeneity in prevalence rates between studies, which was partially explained by sampling method, study location, and the sex distribution of participants. Limitations included lack of information on certain subpopulations (e.g., women and immigrants) and unmet healthcare needs. CONCLUSIONS Public health and policy interventions to improve the health of homeless persons should consider the pattern and extent of psychiatric morbidity. Our findings suggest that the burden of psychiatric morbidity in homeless persons is substantial, and should lead to regular reviews of how healthcare services assess, treat, and follow up homeless people. The high burden of substance use disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders need particular attention in service development. This systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018085216). TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42018085216.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Gutwinski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schreiter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Biomedical Innovation Academy, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karl Deutscher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Seena Fazel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Ayano G, Tesfaw G, Shumet S. The prevalence of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders among homeless people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry 2019; 19:370. [PMID: 31775786 PMCID: PMC6880407 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-019-2361-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders constitute a huge global burden of disease and they are major contributors to disability as well as premature mortality among homeless people. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders among homeless people. METHODS PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched to identify pertinent studies. We used a fixed- or random-effect meta-analysis to pool data from the included studies depending on the anticipated heterogeneity. A predesigned search strategy, as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria, were used. We also performed subgroup and sensitivity analysis and Cochran's Q- and the I2 test was employed to compute heterogeneity. Egger's test and visual inspection of the symmetry in funnel plots were used to assess publication bias. RESULTS Thirty-one studies involving 51,925 homeless people were included in the final analysis. The meta-analysis showed a remarkably higher prevalence of psychosis [21.21% (95% CI:13.73, 31.29), I2 = 99.43%], schizophrenia [10.29% (95%, CI: 6.44, 16.02), I2 = 98.76%], schizophreniform disorder [2.48% (95% CI: 6.16, 28.11), I2 = 88.84%] schizoaffective disorder [3.53% (95% CI: 1.33, 9.05), I2 = 31.63%,] as well as psychotic disorders not otherwise specified [9% (95% CI: 6.92, 11.62), I2 = 33.38%] among homeless people. The prevalence estimate of psychosis was higher in developing (29.16%) as compared to developed (18.80%) countries. Similarly, the prevalence of schizophrenia was highest in developing (22.15%) than developed (8.83%) countries. CONCLUSION This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are highly prevalent among homeless people, indicating an urgent need for studies to help develop better mechanisms of prevention, detection as well as treatment of those disorders among homeless people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Getinet Ayano
- Research and Training Department, Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Getachew Tesfaw
- 0000 0000 8539 4635grid.59547.3aDepartment of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Shegaye Shumet
- 0000 0000 8539 4635grid.59547.3aDepartment of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
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Fisher N. The discharge of mentally disordered people and their continuing care in the community. PSYCHIATRIC BULLETIN 2018. [DOI: 10.1192/pb.18.8.453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Abstract
The impact of mental illness, comorbid substance abuse, and medication nonadherence, coupled with disjointed psychiatric and social services, conspires to a disproportionately high rate of psychiatric disorders among people who are homeless in the United States. This article reviews the prevalence of homeless among the mentally ill as well as the prevalence of mental illness among the homeless and details barriers in access to care and the solutions that have been attempted. The need and solutions to introduce a new generation of physicians and allied health care workers to the unique health care needs of the homeless population are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Foster
- Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Health Sciences University, 997 Saint Sebastian Way, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
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Fazel S, Khosla V, Doll H, Geddes J. The prevalence of mental disorders among the homeless in western countries: systematic review and meta-regression analysis. PLoS Med 2008; 5:e225. [PMID: 19053169 PMCID: PMC2592351 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0050225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 586] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2008] [Accepted: 10/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are well over a million homeless people in Western Europe and North America, but reliable estimates of the prevalence of major mental disorders among this population are lacking. We undertook a systematic review of surveys of such disorders in homeless people. METHODS AND FINDINGS We searched for surveys of the prevalence of psychotic illness, major depression, alcohol and drug dependence, and personality disorder that were based on interviews of samples of unselected homeless people. We searched bibliographic indexes, scanned reference lists, and corresponded with authors. We explored potential sources of any observed heterogeneity in the estimates by meta-regression analysis, including geographical region, sample size, and diagnostic method. Twenty-nine eligible surveys provided estimates obtained from 5,684 homeless individuals from seven countries. Substantial heterogeneity was observed in prevalence estimates for mental disorders among the studies (all Cochran's chi(2) significant at p < 0.001 and all I(2) > 85%). The most common mental disorders were alcohol dependence, which ranged from 8.1% to 58.5%, and drug dependence, which ranged from 4.5% to 54.2%. For psychotic illness, the prevalence ranged from 2.8% to 42.3%, with similar findings for major depression. The prevalence of alcohol dependence was found to have increased over recent decades. CONCLUSIONS Homeless people in Western countries are substantially more likely to have alcohol and drug dependence than the age-matched general population in those countries, and the prevalences of psychotic illnesses and personality disorders are higher. Models of psychiatric and social care that can best meet these mental health needs requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seena Fazel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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Herrman H, Evert H, Harvey C, Gureje O, Pinzone T, Gordon I. Disability and service use among homeless people living with psychotic disorders. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2004; 38:965-74. [PMID: 15555033 DOI: 10.1080/j.1440-1614.2004.01488.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of psychosis and needs for care among homeless people were studied in inner Melbourne. METHOD This was a two-stage nested study within the Australian National Survey of People Living with Psychotic Illness. A screen for psychosis was administered to a representative sample of men and women living in marginal housing in a mental health service catchment area. A selected subsample of 82 screen-positive respondents was interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis (DIP), a semistructured, standardized interview with three modules: (i) demography, functioning and quality of life; (ii) diagnosis; and (iii) service use. RESULTS An unexpectedly high prevalence of people living with psychotic disorders (estimated lifetime prevalence 42%, 95% CI=37-47%) may reflect a concentration of vulnerable people in the shrinking marginal housing supply in the inner city areas. Disability in everyday, occupational and social functioning is greater for this subgroup than for other people living with psychosis in Australia. Most people were single and unemployed, and many reported social isolation and feeling unsafe. Substance use disorders were common. Most people were using health services, including specialist mental health services, but few were receiving rehabilitation, vocational or housing support. CONCLUSIONS Despite high levels of contact with a well-organized, sectorized mental health service in an affluent country, this pocket of several hundred people had high levels of persisting disability and needs. The literature and local experience suggest that changing this situation is likely to require co-ordinated policy and practice between the health, welfare and housing sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Herrman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
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McGilloway S, Donnelly M. Prevalence and Nature of Mental Health Problems Among Single, Homeless People in Belfast, Northern Ireland. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH 2001. [DOI: 10.1080/00207411.2001.11449524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Abstract
A random sample of residents staying in a short-stay hostel in Aberdeen indicated that 25% of those interviewed suffered from a psychiatric disorder, most commonly depression. In addition, 57% were dependent on alcohol. These findings were similar to previous studies which examined short-stay hostels in larger, more disadvantaged cities. Untrained hostel staff showed considerable skill in picking out residents who suffered from serious mental illness. Only two out of 24 residents suffering from schizophrenia or depression were receiving treatment from the local psychiatric service.
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Webster I. Health and tuberculosis in Sydney's homeless. Aust N Z J Public Health 1997; 21:444-6. [PMID: 9343885 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-842x.1997.tb01732.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
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Abstract
We examined the length of stay of inpatients admitted to a psychiatric unit in central London. The commonest length of stay (mode) was less than 1 week. In general, subsequent weeks showed successively fewer discharges, so that the distribution curve of the number of patients by length of stay showed a smooth decline. Analyzing the first 13 weeks of stay, the distribution curve corresponded very closely to a theoretical exponential decay curve. This has implications for recording the average length of stay and thus for comparing one hospital unit with another. It may also have implications for planning for acute psychiatric services. A plea is made for using the median rather than the mean for recording the average length of admission for some purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R G Priest
- St Mary's Hospital Medical School, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London, Department of Psychiatry, United Kingdom
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Terkelsen KG, Menikoff A. Measuring the costs of schizophrenia. Implications for the post-institutional era in the US. PHARMACOECONOMICS 1995; 8:199-222. [PMID: 10155617 DOI: 10.2165/00019053-199508030-00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a stress-related biomedical condition of the brain, characterised by unusual internal experiences, severe and often persistent functional disability and socially inappropriate behaviour. It is estimated that schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of all adults worldwide. Young adults are especially vulnerable. It is an illness with profound economic impact on patients, their families and society at large. Before the 1950s, most patients with schizophrenia were admitted to hospital for long inpatient stays. Keeping the patient in an institutional setting was all that psychiatry could offer, because there was little active treatment available. After World War II, and especially following the introduction of chlorpromazine in 1954, treatment was offered increasingly in outpatient settings. At present, more than 90% of individuals with schizophrenia will receive most healthcare services in outpatient facilities, supplemented by brief hospital treatment. The trend toward community-based care continues into the 1990s, supported in part by recent pharmacotherapeutic developments that are making a new generation of drug treatment options available. Clozapine, the most widely used of these new drugs, has been the subject of several studies that compared its costs with those of conventional drug treatments. These early studies suggest that further reductions in the cost of hospital treatment are possible in the near future. At the same time, despite the increasing availability of effective treatment in outpatient settings, the shift of resources from institutional to community care will not occur as quickly as some might wish. Delays in the transformation of care systems are caused by political interest groups and the sheer inertia of the infrastructure left over from the era of institutional care. These factors must be taken into account in estimating the cost of schizophrenia care during the next decade. The aim of this review is to provide a clinical picture of schizophrenia, emphasising features that contribute most to the cost of illness. We define and quantify the direct and indirect costs of the illness, discuss the cost implications of new pharmacotherapeutic and psychosocial treatments, and critique strategies for measuring the economic efficacy of these new treatments. The difficulties in measuring the costs of schizophrenia that are related to the transition from institutional to community-based systems of care in the US are also reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- K G Terkelsen
- Department of Clinical Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, White Plains, New York, USA
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Abstract
It has often been assumed that all subjects with schizophrenia will eventually be admitted to hospital and therefore little bias is introduced by restricting research to hospitalized subjects. Using the Lothian Psychiatric Case Register, 66 subjects were identified who had been diagnosed in Edinburgh as suffering from schizophrenia between 1978 and 1989 but had no history of hospital admission by December 1991. This represented an adjusted average of 6.7% of the estimated annual rate of first diagnosis of schizophrenia: the proportion of such patients did not change over the period. Using a case-control design, the index cases were compared with a control group of schizophrenic patients who had been admitted to hospital within 3 months of diagnosis. At the time of diagnosis, the cases were generally less disturbed with lower levels of violent behaviour and less evidence of neglect or hallucinations. They had a longer duration of illness prior to diagnosis, were more often diagnosed by a consultant and unemployed. In a follow-up study of the index cases, 59 (89%) were traced, of whom 6 (10%) were deceased. The outcome of the illness was heterogeneous although the course was often chronic. The general practitioner provided most of the care they received. The small proportion of such patients suggests that their exclusion from most published series does not seriously bias our picture of the natural history of schizophrenia. Moreover, as there was no increase in the proportion over the period, first admission rates for schizophrenia in Scotland are a reasonable approximation to incidence rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Geddes
- Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital
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Shanks NJ, Priest RG, Bedford A, Garbett S. Use of the delusions-symptoms-states inventory to detect psychiatric symptoms in a sample of homeless men. Br J Gen Pract 1995; 45:201-3. [PMID: 7612322 PMCID: PMC1239202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research, often using the symptom-sign inventory, had demonstrated a high prevalence of psychiatric disorder among homeless people. The delusions-symptoms-states inventory detects the presence or absence of four classes of psychiatric illness--delusions of disintegration, integrated delusions, neurotic symptoms and dysthymic states. AIM A study was undertaken to determine the utility of the delusions-symptoms-states inventory in a sample of homeless men, and the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in this group. METHOD The inventory was administered to 55 homeless men in a reception centre in Sheffield. RESULTS Nearly half of the men obtained scores on the inventory suggesting that they had psychiatric symptoms. There was an overlap of syndromes, particularly among those with severe psychiatric illness. For example, seven men had all four classes of psychiatric illness. CONCLUSION Use of the questionnaire proved satisfactory. The findings support the contention that reception centres and similar accommodation are repositories for homeless mentally ill people.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J Shanks
- Department of General Practice, Sheffield University Medical School
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Geddes J, Bailey S, Young G, Freeman C, Newton R, Priest R. Schizophrenia among residents of hostels for homeless people. BMJ (CLINICAL RESEARCH ED.) 1994; 309:195. [PMID: 8080578 PMCID: PMC2540708 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.309.6948.195a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Connelly J, Williams R. Schizophrenia among residents of hostels for homeless people. BMJ (CLINICAL RESEARCH ED.) 1994; 308:1572. [PMID: 8019335 PMCID: PMC2540457 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.308.6943.1572b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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