Depressed mood, drug use, and perceived needs among people at a homeless shelter

This study provided preliminary evidence that efforts to treat depression among people who are homeless may tend to reduce future street drug use. The study also provided evidence that social components within mental health interventions are more acceptable to people who are homeless and depressed than they are to other people who are homeless. In particular, fifty nine participants were recruited from a homeless shelter and interviewed at least two times separated by at least one week. Among this sample, self-reported ratings of depressed mood (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) predicted future drug use better than did other variables. This relation between depressed mood and future street drug use fits with an interpretation that street drug use among this population is frequently a form of self-medication for depression. The second analysis showed that those who reported depressed mood, also tended to report a higher need for social support (including social support from a mentor who had been homeless) than did the rest of the currently homeless sample. This finding suggests that those who are homeless and depressed will tend to have a greater desire for a social component (including mentoring by someone previously homeless) within any mental health intervention than will other people who are homeless.