Care trajectories of homeless or precariously housed mentally ill patients from two psychiatric-psychotherapeutic hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia

Abstract

Mental illness and homelessness are often associated with each other. The study aim was to describe the care trajectories of psychiatric inpatients admitted from precarious housing or homelessness. An anonymized data collection was performed at two psychiatric hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia. Of 76 identified patients, every other was discharged to unsecured housing or homelessness. An unresolved housing situation delayed discharge in almost every third case. Upon discharge outpatient somatic or psychiatric treatment was not secured in more than 30%, and in more than 40% of cases, resp. Improvement of the housing situation is possible in a minority of cases for psychiatric inpatients admitted from unsecured housing. The unresolved housing situation was seen as an obstacle to discharge in every third case.