MENTALLY-ILL HOMELESS PATIENTS IN A PSYCH IATRIC-HOSPITAL - RESULTS FROM A 12-MONTHS SURVEY IN GERMANY

In a psychiatric hospital with 3174 admissions in a year, 31% of the m entally ill and addicted patients have no private home. These homeless patients are surviving in different ways: 1. homeless without any kin d of housing; living in the streets for a long time with high risks of morbidity and mortality; 2. living in shelters or hostels; 3. residen ts of local homes; 4. patients still have their private homes but they are urged to leave in the near future or they are living in dangerous circumstances with high risks for health. Case-management by social-w orkers and local political interventions are necessary to act against these high risk health problems of homeless patients in a psychiatric hospital.