U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Use, and Criminal History Among Homeless Adults

NCJ Number
111047
Journal
American Journal of Psychiatry Volume: 145 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1988) Pages: 191-196
Author(s)
L Gelberg; L S Linn; B D Leake
Date Published
1988
Length
6 pages
Annotation
As part of a community-based survey of 529 homeless adults, the authors analyzed factors associated with their use of mental health services.
Abstract
Homeless persons who had had a previous psychiatric hospitalization were the least likely to sleep in an emergency shelter, had been homeless nearly twice as long as the rest of the sample, had the worst mental health status, used alcohol and drugs the most, and were the most involved in criminal activities. The majority had not made an outpatient mental health visit in 5 years. It is suggested that diverse systems of care are needed for homeless persons. (Publisher abstract)

Downloads

No download available

Availability