Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:1179-1184
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Prevalence of severe mental disorders in disaffiliated and homeless people in inner Melbourne
H Herrman, P McGorry, P Bennett, R van Riel and B Singh
Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
The authors determined the prevalence of mental illness in 382 people
representative of the occupants of shelters for the homeless and cheap
single-room accommodations in inner-city areas of Melbourne. Clinicians
were trained to use a standardized diagnostic instrument, the Structured
Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, to diagnose a range of severe mental
disorders, including psychotic, affective, and substance- related
disorders. Almost half the people interviewed received diagnoses of current
disorders, and over 70% received lifetime diagnoses. There was considerable
comorbidity. Many factors are likely to contribute to the concentration of
people with mental disorders in such homeless and disaffiliated groups.
