People experiencing homelessness: Their potential exposure to COVID-19.
Psychiatry Res
; 288: 112945, 2020 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-46892
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Insufficient housing quality is associated with stress and mental health impacts. Crowding, pollution, noise, inadequate lighting, lack of access to green spaces, and other environmental factors associated with slums can exacerbate mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, violence, and other forms of social dysfunction.METHOD:
The studies were identified using large-sized newspapers with international circulation.RESULTS:
Experts say that people who sleep in shelters or on the streets already have lower life expectancy, suffer from addiction, and have underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk should they develop the virus. There are just so many competing and unmet needs, which makes it much harder for homeless to contend with all of this. If exposed, people experiencing homelessness might be more susceptible to illness or death due to the prevalence of underlying physical and mental medical conditions and a lack of reliable and affordable health care. Nevertheless, without an urgent solution, people experiencing homelessness will remain in limbo.CONCLUSIONS:
Many people living on the streets already have a diminished health condition, higher rates of chronic illnesses or compromised immune systems, all of which are risk factors for developing a more serious manifestation of the coronavirus infection. Those suffering from mental illness may have difficulty in recognizing and responding to the threat of infection. Homeless people have less access to health care providers who could otherwise order diagnostic testing and, if confirmed, isolate them from others in coordination with local health departments.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Ill-Housed Persons
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Vulnerable Populations
/
Pandemics
/
Health Services Accessibility
/
Mental Disorders
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychiatry Res
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.psychres.2020.112945
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