Mental illness and the homeless

Years ago in the States they had State hospitals for the mentally ill. For some reason, the hospitals started closing and leaving the mentally on the streets. Suddenly then, popping up all around the country were homeless shelters. Is there a connection on this.

a reply to: musicismagic

Yes, it happens everywhere where such hospitals close or throw out a lot of patients. It's a direct correlation.

originally posted by: Pitou
a reply to: musicismagic

Yes, it happens everywhere where such hospitals close or throw out a lot of patients. It's a direct correlation.

Is it because it is cheaper to do it that way, or it in the end is just a lost cause to try to rehabilitate the people with such sever mental problems. Don't know really. In this country, the homeless and mentally don't beg and if they tried, no one would give them money and or they'd find themselves in the police station.

This happened in the UK under the Thatcher government, there was a money saving move for community mental health services and they closed down all the old institutions and a lot of the old patients could not put up living in the outside world and ended up on the streets.

The truth is that when you look at the evidence where possible; it is better to manage mental illness in the community so closing down mental health hospitals makes some scene take the savings and put them into community mental health services. But i am going to bet it never works like that, they just save the money.

If they are going to close down mental health institutions they need to then put more funding into community mental health services and put in safe guards for those who have became institutionalised.

they closed down the mental institutions when modern medicine finally realized you dont treat mental illness with shocks and insulin....

originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
This happened in the UK under the Thatcher government, there was a money saving move for community mental health services and they closed down all the old institutions and a lot of the old patients could not put up living in the outside world and ended up on the streets.

The truth is that when you look at the evidence where possible; it is better to manage mental illness in the community so closing down mental health hospitals makes some scene take the savings and put them into community mental health services. But i am going to bet it never works like that, they just save the money.

If they are going to close down mental health institutions they need to then put more funding into community mental health services and put in safe guards for those who have became institutionalised.

Very eloquently put, Sir.

I worked for years with people with mental illness and homeless. Unfortunately, I'm bipolar and life took its toll with all the emotional burn out of the care work that I am having to take a long period out myself. So I know both sides VERY well.

I can only say there is a link between homelessness and mental illness. There are many other causes of homelessness, too. The client group is very diverse indeed.

Mental health related homelessness is really diagnosed by a bit of common sense. If a person is not well enough to even control their own being then how can they control their living environment? Modern living is very complicated. What it takes to keep a home functioning is beyond the means of some people with mental health issues during an episode.

There has to be intervention in the community. If we anticipate the problems and give support then homelessness does not need to be an option.

Thank goodness here in Cornwall, UK that is the case. Excellent community support is by far the best remedy. Yes, spend some of that money you saved, Mr Cameron.

Like you, I am horrified by the past abuses of people with mental health issues. The whole institutionalisation experiment was a series of horrors, human rights abuses and eugenically genocidal in nature.

Don't forget just how common mental illness is in the whole spectrum of world society, from very rich to very poor. That is why we have the ongoing development of legislation and rights socially right now in the UK.

Personally, I will always argue for humanity and a civilized, positive response to this timeless human issue that imposes upon so many individuals and families in all corners of the globe.

Inhumane bitch that she was...

The cost of her funeral alone paid by the public would have saved many more valuable lives!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

ETA: my family as non striking members of the coal mining community back in the 80s were deeply affected... So shut up armchair specialists please!

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

Yes, the Socreds did this to the mentally ill in BC as well a few decades ago and it was evil beyond belief. The cost of services including policing, city and local government, health care, jails and prisons, is so high with each homeless person, they could have just put them in their own paid for townhouses or beautiful mobile homes with skylights, and on disabilities and provided good services, care aids for shopping and housework, and SAVED A BUNDLE OVER THE YEARS.

A nation is judged by how it treats its vulnerable citizens. For real. This is all a test. For real. Your own soul helped design your own test so you can't really get an out in it.

If you err on any side, choose to err on Love's side.

Only bad experiences with the mental health services in the UK.

Unfortunately we have under trained, underpaid and under staffed mental health facilities. Staff are compassionate but the pathway/education route to qualification doesn't equip the learner with enough versatility in patient assessment or treatment approaches. An inept education system.

The interaction of departments within the NHS is terrible, things can take days or weeks. In mental health issues hours and minutes matter. Ineptitude of the system, not the staff.

Within the NHS complaints are not dealt with or escalated high enough for them to matter. Feedback is not looked at analytically with a view of continuous improvement. An inept ethos of service improvement.

Also aside from the NHS bashing...

Many, many people don't view the homeless guy with a beard and dirty coat as someone who may be having an episode of psychosis and possibly needs help. Instead he is viewed as the mad guy who is off his head. An inept view held by many - admittedly (and gladly) not everyone holds this view but this still adds to the firepot.

So I guess if you get ill and are unlucky enough to fall foul of the pitfalls of our system then maybe you could end up homeless. F***ing scary when you think that it could happen to anyone of us.

The world needs an enema.