Psychiatric illnesses in homeless (runaway or throwaway) girl inmaltes: a preliminary study

Introduction: Mental illnesses are continuing to spread worldwide. There is no society and strata that are immune to mental illness; homeless population is also not an exception. The present study estimates the prevalence of psychiatric illnesses in homeless girls who are presently living as inmates. Thirty six girls (aged 14-17 years) who are homeless (either runaway or throwaway) were interviewed along with their primary caregiver. Data were gathered through both a structured interview with the girls and their present caregiver at institute. Tools: The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) was used for assessing psychiatric illnesses. Before administering the MINI-KID, their intelligence quotient (IQ) was also measured to assess their intellectual functioning. Results and conclusion: Findings indicate that the prevalence of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were higher followed by conversion disorder, mental retardation and panic disorder in present sample. The results also show that more than 60% of inmates met the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder. Overall, estimates of psychiatric morbidity in the inmate girl are higher than those reported in Western World. The most striking finding of the present study is that more than 80% were classified as runaway and the majority of mentally ill inmates required specialised mental health housing. These findings suggest future challenges not only for mental health professional but also for policy makers.