The prevalence of mental disorders among the homeless in western countries: systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There are well over a million homeless people in Western Europe and North America, but reliable estimates of the prevalence of major mental disorders among this population are lacking. We undertook a systematic review of surveys of such disorders in homeless people.

Methods and findings

We searched for surveys of the prevalence of psychotic illness, major depression, alcohol and drug dependence, and personality disorder that were based on interviews of samples of unselected homeless people. We searched bibliographic indexes, scanned reference lists, and corresponded with authors. We explored potential sources of any observed heterogeneity in the estimates by meta-regression analysis, including geographical region, sample size, and diagnostic method. Twenty-nine el

SUBMITTER: Fazel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2592351 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature