Survey of Homeless: Mental Ills and Addiction
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Published: September 10, 1989
LEAD: More than 80 percent of the homeless people contacted in a survey in Baltimore were mentally ill and most of them suffered from drug or alcohol abuse and many other ailments, the study shows.

More than 80 percent of the homeless people contacted in a survey in Baltimore were mentally ill and most of them suffered from drug or alcohol abuse and many other ailments, the study shows.

And they had little opportunity to get proper medical care, said the study's chief author, Dr. William R. Breakey of the department of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

''Surely in this day and age in America, it should be possible to ensure that everybody gets access to adequate health care,'' he said Thursday in a telephone interview. The study, published Friday in The Journal of the American Medical Association, based in Chicago, was done in 1986 and 1987 using a random sampling of 298 homeless men and 230 women from Baltimore missions, shelters and jails.

A sampling of 203 people in the group were given psychiatric and physical examinations. Schizophrenia and Depression

The study by Dr. Breakey and colleagues at Johns Hopkins found that 80 percent of the women and 91 percent of the men had mental problems.

Schizophrenia was diagnosed in 12 percent of the men and 17 percent of the women, while major depression or manic-depressive disorders were diagnosed in 19 percent of the men and 24 percent of the women.

Less severe psychiatric problems like phobias or anxiety disorders were found in 28 percent of the men and 44 percent of the women.

The medical histories of 85 percent of the men and 67 percent of the women showed that they were or had been drug or alcohol abusers. Most prevalent was alcoholism, a disorder found in 68 percent of the men and 32 percent of the women.

While more than half of those surveyed acknowledged that they had used illegal drugs, just 22 percent of men and 17 percent of women were considered to have suffered from drug dependency.

On average, more than 8 physical problems were found in the men and more than 9 in the women. Reflections of Other Cities

The most common physical problems were dental, gynecological, dermatological, heart, respiratory and neurological disorders.

''Current resources are woefully inadequate'' to meet the needs of the homeless, the researcher concluded.

''It appears that in broad terms, the picture is similar for other cities, but the details may differ,'' Dr. Breakey said.

''For example, reports from New York indicate that cocaine is a more serious problem than alcohol.''

Mary Ellen Hombs, acting director of the Washington office of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said the study reflected national trends.

''We see rates of mental illness running around 30 percent nationwide and about the same for alcohol abuse,'' she said.

She and the authors of the study called for more community mental health services, services for substance abuse and programs conducted by people familiar with homelessness.

''A person living outdoors isn't already plugged into the health care system,'' Ms. Hombs said. ''What's needed is special kinds of programs to bring medical-service providers out to the streets and shelters to reach people.''