June 17, 2013 - 10:03 AM
CALGARY - A study has found there is an overwhelmingly high rate of undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric illness among Calgary's homeless.
University of Calgary researchers found that 93 per cent of 166 homeless people who were part of the study had symptoms of mental illness.
Researcher Dr. Arvavind Ganesh (AR'-uh-VIND' guh-NESH') says participants were questioned about common psychiatric problems.
They included substance use, anxiety and affective disorders and psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.
He says the results show the need to provide the homeless with better access to mental-health services.
The report suggests mental-health teams should offer services directly rather than screen individuals and then refer them for help.
The report was published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013