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Food Insecurity and Mental Health: A Pilot Study of Patients in a Psychiatric Emergency Unit in Israel

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine food insecurity among psychiatric patients and as a concern for mental health practitioners. Food security and psychological distress were measured among 113 patients hospitalized in a psychiatric emergency unit. Of 113 respondents 67 (59.3%) enjoyed food security and 46 (40.7%) lacked food security. Food insecure respondents showed a higher level of psychological distress than food secure respondents. A large proportion of in-patients may be suffering food insecurity which is negatively associated with their psychological well being. Mental health practitioners need to be aware of the potential association of food insecurity and mental distress among psychiatric patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emergency Hospitalization Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, POB 4600, 84170, Beer Sheva, Israel

    Nimrod Grisaru & Eliezer Witztum

  2. Department of Social Work, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    Roni Kaufman & Julia Mirsky

Authors
  1. Nimrod Grisaru
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  2. Roni Kaufman
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  3. Julia Mirsky
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  4. Eliezer Witztum
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nimrod Grisaru.

Appendix: Food Security Core Survey Short Form of the 12-Month Food Security Scale http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodsecurity/surveytools/

Appendix: Food Security Core Survey Short Form of the 12-Month Food Security Scale http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodsecurity/surveytools/

  1. 1.

    “The food that I bought just didn’t last, and I didn’t have money to get more.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 12 months?

    • (1) Often true (2) Sometimes true (3) Never true

  2. 2.

    “I couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 12 months?

    • (1) Often true (2) Sometimes true (3) Never true

  3. 3.

    In the last 12 months, did you ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?

    • (1) Yes (2) No

  4. 4.

    How often did this happen—almost every month, some months but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months?

    • (1) Almost every month (2) Some months but not every month (3) Only 1 or 2 months

  5. 5.

    In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn’t enough money to buy food?

    • (1) Yes (2) No

  6. 6.

    In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry but didn’t eat because you couldn’t afford enough food?

    • (1) Yes (2) No

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Grisaru, N., Kaufman, R., Mirsky, J. et al. Food Insecurity and Mental Health: A Pilot Study of Patients in a Psychiatric Emergency Unit in Israel. Community Ment Health J 47, 513–519 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-010-9339-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-010-9339-8

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