Mental disorders half of hospital stays among homeless

by liamssoft | August 30, 2007 at 11:56 am

446 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

Being homeless is the worst thing next to death. The worry of where to sleep, where to eat and shelter from the cold. No wonder they have mental health problems, who wouldn't?

More than half of hospital stays by homeless Canadians are a direct result of mental disorders, suggests a study of mental health and homelessness released Thursday.

The report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information describes homelessness as a "harsh reality" for more than 10,000 people staying in shelters on any given night in Canada, and provides an overview of research and interventions for people living on the street and in shelters.

In particular, it pulls together hospital data on admissions in 2005-06, and the reasons behind them.

"This is the first time we're tracking this kind of information," Elizabeth Votta, an author of the report, said from Ottawa.

"It's data that's collected from Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto - primarily Toronto because that's the way the database is set up - but what it's telling us is that 52 per cent of homeless persons that are being hospitalized are being done so for mental disorders ... and that's much higher than the general population, which is coming in at five per cent."