It has recently been
reported that 1 out of every 17 individuals in the U.S. suffers from mental
illness - that translates to approximately 20.5 million people. This is a significant number of individuals
plagued by this galaxy of diseases that disrupts mental processes. Those of us who function “normally” do not fully
recognize how much processing - within the circuitry of the human brain – is
ordinarily required to perform even the most mundane activities. The daily tasks that are required to work
every day, for example, include waking up on time, preparing for the day doing
such things as showering, brushing one’s teeth, preparing clothes, planning for
the day’s eventualities, taking a bus or train or driving a car. All of these tasks must be performed in an
orderly, precise and timely fashion.
These functions are required simply to get to a place of employment not
to mention all the social skills, capabilities, human interactions, use of
learned abilities and reliable memory, timeliness, prioritizing of goals etc.
that are the minimal requirements to accomplish rather complex work-related functions
successfully.
According to the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “20 to 25% of the
homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe
mental illness.” This compares to the 6% of the general population that is
afflicted with mental illness as reported by the National Institute of Mental
Health, 2009. In addition, a survey was conducted in 25 U.S. cities in which
the question was posed as to what were the three major causes of homelessness
for single adults. The results of this investigation indicated that mental
illness was ranked as the third largest cause.
In addition, mental illness was also indicated as playing a significant
role as a cause of homelessness among families.
This is not surprising given the fact that living with a mentally ill
individual places significant stresses upon the entire family. Additional fallout from these and similar
studies is that individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are
particularly vulnerable.
There is yet another
level to this issue that adds further complexity and concern –a strong
correlation exists between the state of mental health in an individual and the
corresponding status of overall physical health. Individuals that are constantly distracted,
confused and disoriented by mental disease are far less likely to pay attention
to their physical well-being. They are
far more likely to ignore significant warning signs that would ordinarily send
people to their physicians. Furthermore, they are more likely to contract
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis or other communicable diseases. They pay less attention to their personal
hygiene and often place themselves in dangerous situations that often lead to
bodily harm.
In addition, it has
been reliably estimated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration that approximately one-half of the mentally ill homeless in the
United States also are substance abusers.
It is a well-established fact that many sufferers from mental illness
use drugs as a form of self-medication.
These extensive studies
regarding the real implications of mental illness demonstrate that the
individual overtaken by aberrations within the functioning brain experiences a
satellite of related conditions including substance abuse and the resulting
poor physical health. These conditions
when taken together make it very difficult to find reliable employment and
ultimately adequate shelter.
In spite of the fact
that the scientific disciplines of Neurobiology and Neuroscience have
elucidated many of the biological and biochemical mechanisms that are
responsible for the galaxy of symptoms that are collectively regarded as mental
illness, there remains a great deal of suspicion and the resulting stigma that
is associated with those who are afflicted by mental illness. This kind of fallacious preconception
regarding mental illness obscures the indisputable reality that mental illness
is a result of definitive imbalances in the biochemistry and function of the
human brain. The society, at large, has inadequately
addressed this issue in a way that could produce meaningful help and
remediation for those who suffer from mental illness. A reevaluation of the status of the mentally
ill and homelessness would certainly be in the public interest.