Alexandra Zabjek
Edmonton Journal
More than half of Edmonton's homeless population has reported having mental-health problems, reflecting a national trend that a new study shows could affect the health-care system.
The report, released Thursday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, shows that mental health and behaviour disorders were responsible for 52 per cent of hospital stays among homeless people across the country in 2005-06, compared to five per cent of the general population. This is the first time an organization has published research on the number of hospital visits for homeless people in a given year. The analysis did not include Quebec hospitals.
"The homeless don't have family doctors so they're using either the on-site services at shelters, or they are using these emergency type services that are available," said Elizabeth Votta, the report's primary author.
The most common type of mental-health problem recorded for homeless patients was substance abuse, followed by schizophrenia or other delusional disorders.
The report also described the circle of circumstances that make people with mental-health issues more susceptible to homelessness, and homeless people more prone to poor mental health.
"The longer you're homeless, the greater you are at risk for developing mental-health issues," said Votta.
She noted that homeless Canadians experience high stress levels and have a lower perceived self-worth, which can contribute to depression, substance abuse and suicidal behaviour.
At the same time, people who suffer from mental-health problems may have difficulties maintaining a steady income, employment and housing, which puts them at greater risk for homelessness.
Psychologist Kathleen Cairns, who co-authored studies on homelessness in Edmonton and Calgary in 2004, said she is not surprised by the institute's findings.
"Both studies indicated there's a significant proportion of the chronically homeless population that have a clear mental illness," Cairns said.
"There are also high rates of active addiction....Very often addiction goes hand in hand with mental illness, so those two populations would overlap significantly, and an individual who's diagnosed with both a mental health problem and an addiction is more likely to require emergency attention."
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