Homelessness is about more than rooflessness. A home is not just a physical space: it provides roots, identity, security, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing." This quote comes from the UK charity Crisis, who warn that with the financial crisis the risk of homelessness for many people is closer than we have ever assumed. This month's editorial (PLoS Medicine Editors, e1000003) examines the health needs of the homeless, the under-representation of these problems in the medical literature, and the failure of social and health support systems to address them.
A systematic review and meta-analysis (Fazel et al. e225) published this month also examines some of these problems, showing that homeless people in Western countries have a higher prevalence of alcohol and drug dependence and mental disorders than the general population. A perspective (Herrman e237) discusses the study and the absence of interagency partnerships to address these complex needs.
Image Credit: Marc from Borft at flickr.com
Editorial
Homelessness Is Not Just a Housing Problem
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000003
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Perspectives
Mental Disorders among Homeless People in Western Countries
PLOS Medicine: published December 2, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050237
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The Disconnect between China's Public Health and Public Security Responses to Injection Drug Use, and the Consequences for Human Rights
PLOS Medicine: published December 9, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050240
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Accessing Maternal Health Services in Eastern Burma
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050250
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Poverty and Cataract—A Deeper Look at a Complex Issue
PLOS Medicine: published December 16, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050245
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The Dirty War Index: Statistical Issues, Feasibility, and Interpretation
PLOS Medicine: published December 16, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050248
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A New Tool for Measuring the Brutality of War
PLOS Medicine: published December 16, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050249
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Health in Action
African AIDS Vaccine Programme for a Coordinated and Collaborative Vaccine Development Effort on the Continent
PLOS Medicine: published December 2, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050236
Policy Forums
The Dirty War Index: A Public Health and Human Rights Tool for Examining and Monitoring Armed Conflict Outcomes
PLOS Medicine: published December 16, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050243
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What Is the Future for Global Case Management Guidelines for Common Childhood Diseases?
PLOS Medicine: published December 9, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050241
Research Articles
The Prevalence of Mental Disorders among the Homeless in Western Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis
PLOS Medicine: published December 2, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050225
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Health and Human Rights Concerns of Drug Users in Detention in Guangxi Province, China
PLOS Medicine: published December 9, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050234
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Access To Essential Maternal Health Interventions and Human Rights Violations among Vulnerable Communities in Eastern Burma
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050242
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A Randomised Controlled Trial of Artemether-Lumefantrine Versus Artesunate for Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Treatment in Pregnancy
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050253
A Case-Control Study to Assess the Relationship between Poverty and Visual Impairment from Cataract in Kenya, the Philippines, and Bangladesh
PLOS Medicine: published December 16, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050244
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“Efforts to Reprioritise the Agenda” in China: British American Tobacco's Efforts to Influence Public Policy on Secondhand Smoke in China
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050251
“A Good Personal Scientific Relationship”: Philip Morris Scientists and the Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050238
Ovarian Carcinoma Subtypes Are Different Diseases: Implications for Biomarker Studies
PLOS Medicine: published December 2, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050232
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Analysis of Germline GLI1 Variation Implicates Hedgehog Signalling in the Regulation of Intestinal Inflammatory Pathways
PLOS Medicine: published December 9, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050239
Corrections
Correction: A Prevalent Variant in PPP1R3A Impairs Glycogen Synthesis and Reduces Muscle Glycogen Content in Humans and Mice
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050246
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Correction: Vitamin K Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia (ECKO Trial): A Randomized Controlled Trial
PLOS Medicine: published December 23, 2008 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050247