he incidence of mental illness among the homeless population and its impact on society has become more visible in more recent years.

The incidence of mental illness among the homeless population and its impact on society has
become more visible in more recent years. Phipps et al. (2019) opined that the state of
homelessness often results from the presence of mental illnesses. Variables that are commonly
reported among the homeless, such as low resilience and losing purpose in life, are critical
factors that often point to the presence of common mental disorders (Patricio, et al., 2019).
Smith and Castaneda (2020) suggested that there is a 6.2% higher rate of mental illness in the
homeless population when compared to the general population. A search of websites (CDC,
WHO, NIH, NIMH) dedicated to local and national mental healthcare statistics returned minimal
or no data related to the homeless population having access to early mental health care
evaluations. In the United States, one in five persons is affected by mental health illness
(National Institute of Mental Health, 2021). The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and
Developmental Disabilities reported that from 2013 to 2017, there was an increase of 4.3% of the
prevalence of adults being diagnosed with mental health illnesses in the state of Georgia
(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA, 2017). These
numbers represented an additional 323,000 in population diagnoses, on par with the regional
statistics of 4.4% and 4.2% for the national average (SAMHSA, 2017).
Descriptive and analytic epidemiology can play significant roles in addressing mental
illness and mental health care access in the homeless population. There is a dearth of knowledge
as it pertains to healthcare issues affecting the homeless population; this population is not easily
accessible. Descriptive and analytic epidemiology analyses are tools that can be used to
determine risk factors, trends, causes of disease in the homeless population, and associated health
risk factors. Current research studies regarding healthcare disparities affecting the homeless
population use both types of epidemiological analyses to answer research questions (Levorato et
al., 2017; Schneider et al., 2016; Håkanson & Öhlén, 2016).
Public health surveillance programs play a critical role in improving healthcare
outcomes. Surveillance includes the collection of data that is used to create efficient healthcare
systems (Groseclose & Buckeridge, 2017). In looking at the homeless population, surveillance
programs could be developed to guide the development of interventions that assess mental health
needs in homeless individuals. Early identification of needs could assist with the creation of
national treatment programs that could improve healthcare outcomes. There are ethical
concerns, however, when collecting data through surveillance from this population. Homeless
individuals are vulnerable and are at risk for manipulation. Some individuals may not be able to

give the appropriate consent to participate in certain surveillance programs. The responsibility
then rests on the researcher to weigh the risks and prioritize resources so that there can be respect
for each individual in the population that is being observed.
References
Groseclose, S. L., & Buckeridge, D. L. (2017). Public health surveillance systems: recent
advances in their use and evaluation. Annual Review of Public Health, 38, 57-
79. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044348 (Links to an external site.)
Håkanson, C., & Öhlén, J. (2016). Illness narratives of people who are homeless. International
Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. 11(1),
32924. https://doi.org/10.3402/qhw.v11.32924 (Links to an external site.)
Levorato, S., Bocci, G., Troiano, G., Messina, G., & Nante, N. (2017). Health status of homeless
persons: a pilot study in the Padua municipal dorm. Ann Ig. 29(1), 54-
62. https://doi.org/10.7416/ai.2017.2132 (Links to an external site.)
National Institution of Mental Health. (2021, January). Mental
illness. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml (Links to an external
site.)
Patricio, A., da Silva, R. A., Araujo, R., da Silva, R. F., Nascimento, G., Rodrigues, T., & Leite,
M. (2019). Common mental disorders and resilience in homeless persons. Rev Bras
Enferm, 72(6), 1526-1533. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0541 (Links to an external
site.)
Phipps, M., Dalton, L., Maxwell, H., & Cleary, M. (2019). Women and homelessness, a complex
multidimensional issue: findings from a scoping review. Journal of Social Distress and the
Homeless, 28(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2018.1534427 (Links to an external
site.)
Schneider, M., Brisson, D., & Burnes, D. (2016). Do we really know how many are homeless?
An analysis of the point-in-time homelessness count. Families in Society, 97(4), 321-
329. https://doi.org/10.1606%2F1044-3894.2016.97.39 (Links to an external site.)
Smith, C., & Castaneda, E. (2020). Sick enough? Mental illness and service eligibility for
homeless individuals at the border. Social Sciences, 9(145), 1-
23. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9080145 (Links to an external site.)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Adult Mental Health and
Service Use. https://store.samhsa.gov (Links to an external site.)