Mental Illness in the Homeless: Problems of Epidemiologic Method in Surveys of the 1980s

In this paper, we review problems of epidemiologic method in surveys that reported on mental illness in homeless adults in the United States in the 1980s (Arce, et al., 1983; Vergare & Arce, 1986; Bassuk, et al., 1984; Bassuk, et ah, 1986; Crystal, et ah, 1986; Fischer, et ah, 1986; Koegel, et al., 1988; Kroll, et ah, 1986; Morse & Calsyn, 1986; Rossi, et al., 1987; Roth & Bean, 1986; Snow, et al., 1986; Struening, 1986; Susser, et al., 1989a). These surveys can be construed, in epidemiologic terms, as ~'case surveys" of homelessness, since most gathered data on homeless persons without selecting a second group specifically for comparison. Surveys included in our review meet two minimal criteria:

Publication Date: 
1990
Pages: 
391-414
Volume: 
26
Issue: 
5
Journal Name: 
Community Mental Health Journal