Are Rates of Psychiatric Disorders Changing Over Time in the Homeless Population?
Carol S. North, MD, MPE1, Karin M. Eyrich, MSW2, and David E. Pollio, PhD2. (1) School of Medicine, Washington University, Department of Psychiatry, 660 S Euclid, CB 8134, Renard Building, Room 2210, St. Louis, MO 63110, (314)747-2013, northc@psychiatry.wustl.edu, (2) George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, CB 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130 Ethnographic research suggests the homeless population may be evolving over recent decades. Changes in rates of psychiatric disorders could have profound service implications for this population. Lacking longitudinal data to track these rates, the next best means of examining this problem is to compare available data sets from separate epidemiologic studies using identical or similar sampling strategies (the purpose of this presentation). Three relevant data sets collected in three consecutive decades in St. Louis are the Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) residential data obtained in 1981-2 (N=150 lifetim
