About a third of people who are homeless have mental health and/or substance abuse issues. The main question that comes up in people's minds is: why don't these people seek professional help or medications to help them? For one, the stigma and shame surrounding mental illness prevents many from getting help. Most of society have the wrong idea when it comes to mental health. Because of the stigma attached, many people would rather face homelessness on the streets than get help. In addition, mental illness tends to convince the afflicted that they are not mentally ill. In that way, everyone around the person is seen as having a problem and they are the ones who are "normal".
Society tends to think that it is a character flaw or personal weakness that causes someone to have mental health issues. But, science explains it all. It is something in the person's genes passed down from their mother or father that causes mental illness. Furthermore, mental illness can be treated with medication. One of every five Americans will suffer from a serious mental illness sometime in their lives. With so many Americans suffering, you would think that mental health would be the number one medical issue today. But actually, mental health agencies have been underfunded since the 1960's.
During the 1960's, there was de-institutionalization of the mental health system. Many patients were held in hospitals and asylums against their will and kept there for the rest of their lives. With the advent of patient advocate groups, mental patients were let go onto the streets with promises from politicians for massive funding to mental health agencies to help patients with housing, medication and anything else to make their lives better. However, politicians never came through with their promises. Instead of giving that funding to mental health agencies, politicians took the funding and gave it away to other areas. After that, mental patients were seen on the streets, many times homeless and without hope.
Since then, mental health funding has taken a back seat. Although there is a great need for mental health services, there are simply not enough services to go around. Agencies are severely underfunded. At one agency, the average wait time for someone to be treated is six weeks. That is a long time to wait for someone suffering from a mental health issue. Housing is another big issue. There are not enough slots to go around. One coordinator at a mental health agency says, "I get phone calls all the time about people needing housing and I have to turn them away." Family members become taxed to the limit as they become stressed out financially, mentally and emotionally caring for their loved ones.
Today, the biggest issue is funding. People with mental health issues require long term care. Mental health agencies are already taxed to the limit. Mental health agencies help by providing nurturing rehabilitation and therapy to their clients to aid in their progress. In today's economy, states are looking to slash their budgets. The treatment for mental illness is a slow one, taking years to recover. In the future, states are looking to treat people with mental illness for at the most 3 months. Then, the person is on their own. This is a recipe for disaster. Just like in the 1960's, this move by the states will cause chaos. Once again, we will have more people with mental health issues on the streets. States need to fund mental health agencies more, not less. This move by the states will cause a worsening of the problems that we have now with people with mental illness.
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