Reintegration of a Homeless Mentally Ill Patient during COVID-19: A Case Report

Abstract

Homeless persons with mental illness (HPMI) are marginalised and have trouble accessing treatment and rehabilitation facilities. Tracing families of the HPMI became even more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper details a case study of a wandering homeless male with predominant psychotic symptoms admitted into a tertiary mental health care establishment. While treatment showed considerable improvement in the individual’s symptoms, the prevailing pandemic impacted the rehabilitation process. The subsequent nationwide lockdown posed a number of hurdles in the rehabilitation process. Case reporting methodology is used for presenting challenges faced during the reintegration process and its management.

Keywords: homelessness, COVID-19, psychosis, rehabilitation, reintegration

DOI: 10.32444/IJSW.2023.84.3.339-346