title: Homeless mentally ill patients in the community: results of a general hospital emergency room study.
abstract: Previous inattention to the specific circumstances of homeless mentally ill individuals in general hospital settings is discussed. Homeless mentally ill individuals who presented for emergency psychiatric care in a public general hospital setting exhibited distinctive patterns of service utilization and showed evidence of being a uniquely disabled, rootless, and impoverished subgroup of mentally ill individuals. The characteristics of homeless users of general hospital psychiatric services may provide some important clues to system-wide deficits in community-based care for the members of this population.
authors: University of Maryland.
authors: L L
authors: LL
authors: Bachrach
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Santiago
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Berren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001130:Arizona / Q000453:epidemiology; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data