Mental Health of the Homeless

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Most nights here in America, thousands of people are pushed into homlessness usually not due to their fault. The people being the first affected by homelessness are people with issues of  chronically homeless, mental health issues, or people who are just trying to escape a domestic abuse situation. There are hundreds of other reasons and circumstances that can be the cause as well but today I will be focusing on the mental health issue.

Some of the most common disorders among people who are homeless are depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse disorders. All these issues can leave people feeling very alone and make them believe that there is little to no hope for you. This can make them fall into bad habits that can lead to chronic homlessness. Homelessness in turn has been associated with declining mental health outcomes and may trigger or increase certain types of disorders. It makes one's heart hurt thinking of these people who are sadly going through a tough time in their respective life not at the fault of them or their choices but by how society deals with these issues.


Now there are some solutions to helping homeless people find help. Local organizations are  attempting to implement new groundbreaking models of care such as street psychiatry, mental health care models, and integrated primary care. All these options could help people experiencing homelessness to get back on their feet so they can go back to or begin living their lives again. Ultimately as a society we should be helping these people who are barely hanging on and help them get to a place where they can face the next day. Not on the streets but in a place with a roof over their heads, a home. 


If you want to help but are not sure where to start, the most basic thing a person can do is acknowledge the homeless you see on the streets and make them feel less invisible to the world. For more information and other ways to help check out this website:  https://blanchethouse.org/5-ways-to-help-homeless/



Written by: Rowan Petrasy 

Sources:


https://www.bbrfoundation.org/blog/homelessness-and-mental-illness-challenge-our-society#:~:text=Most%20researchers%20agree%20that%20the,ways%20that%20encourage%20stable%20housing.


https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FFR1-2016/NSDUH-FFR1-2016.htm


https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/never-ending-loop-homelessness-psychiatric-disorder-and-mortality

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