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Characteristics of homeless mentally ill people who lose contact with caring agencies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Max Marshall ,
Julia Nehring ,
Catherine Taylor  and
Denis Gath
Max Marshall
Affiliation:
Wellcome Trust Health Services Research Training Fellow, Oxford University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 7JX, England
Julia Nehring
Affiliation:
Littlemore Hospital, Oxford, England
Catherine Taylor
Affiliation:
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry
Denis Gath
Affiliation:
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Headington, Oxford 0X3 7JX, England
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Abstract

Objective: To discover whether (as predicted in the literature) loss of contact with caring agencies is related to age, substance dependence, a history of law-breaking, or a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Method: A consecutive series of 71 homeless people with mental disorders was recruited over a period of 18 months. The subjects were new referrals to psychiatrists working in a primary health care clinic for the homeless. The subjects were then followed up for a further 18 months (maximum follow up time 36 months, minimum follow up time 18 months) to determine duration of contact with Oxford services for helping the homeless (survival time).

Results: Survival analyses indicated that early loss of contact with Oxford services for helping the homeless was strongly predicted by substance (mainly alcohol) dependence in the month before first attendance at the clinic (generalised Wilcoxon 15.8, p<0.001). Homeless people with mental disorders who are also alcohol dependent, were five times more likely to lose contact with caring agencies than homeless people with mental disorders who were not alcohol dependent (hazard ratio 5.05,95% confidence limits 14.9-3.0).

Conclusions: Amongst homeless people with mental disorder, there appears to be an association between substance (mainly alcohol) dependence and loss of contact with caring agencies. This may be because homeless people with a dual diagnosis of mental disorder and substance dependence, tend to be more mobile than those who are not substance dependent.

Keywords

HomelessnessMental disorderAlcohol dependence
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , December 1994 , pp. 160 - 163
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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