Of the half-million or more people in America who are homeless on any night of the year, approximately one-third have a serious mental illness.1 The proportion is even higher for people living outside shelters.2 At least half of seriously mentally ill adults who experience homelessness also have a sub- stance use disorder; schizophrenia, mood disorders and behavior disorders are also commonly manifest in this population.3 Without appropriate care, mental illness is a strong predictor of chronic homelessness.
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Clinical Practice, Conditions and Issues, Healing Hands Newsletter, Mental Illness