Despite widespread recognition that the majority of homeless women suffer from severe mental and emotional trauma, our healthcare system has essentially left them untreated—other than to mask their symptoms with psychiatric drugs. Why? And what can be done about it? Addressing this issue, Laura Huey and Rose Ricciardelli not only present an integrated analysis of the ways that the system is failing homeless women, but also propose a sensible alternative to the status quo.CONTENTS: Homeless Women and Mental Health. Empowered or Powerless? Trauma and Mental Illness. Encountering the Medical Profession. Prescriptions for an "Improved Life." The Issue of Compliance. Changing the Status Quo. Appendix: Research Methods.