Mental Illness and its Impact on Society: Schizophrenia and Homelessness
Mental Illness and the Impact on Society
For this week's discussion, you are to discuss the effects mental illness has on society. To help you prepare with the assignment, review any of the assigned article readings for the week:
Abrams, A. (2017, May 25). The catastrophic effects of mental health stigma: Transforming a broken system. https://www(dot)psychologytoday(dot)com/us/blog/nurturing-self-compassion/201705/the-catastrophic-effects-mental-health-stigma
Bao, J. (2020, March 9). Prisons: The new asylums. Harvard Political Review. https://harvardpolitics(dot)com/prisons-the-new-asylums/
Bellesheim, K. R. (2016). Ethical challenges and legal issues for mental health professionals working with family caregivers of individuals with serious mental illness. Ethics & Behavior, 26(7), 607–620. https://libauth(dot)purdueglobal(dot)edu/login?url=https://search(dot)ebscohost(dot)com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=118030232&site=eds-live
Next, locate one credible source from the Library or the internet about the prevalence of mental illness in the U.S. and its effects on society (e.g., criminal behavior, alcohol or drug abuse, negative impacts on interpersonal relationships, or homelessness). Use this information to write a letter to your congressperson (without the intention of sending it) to explain the following:
The magnitude of the problem of mental illness.
What is being done to improve the situation (such as your state's programs or organizations)?
How the problem affects a society.
What steps you believe should be taken to combat the problem and reduce the prevalence of mental illness or the specific problem you chose.
Schizophrenia and Homelessness
Your Name
Department of ABC, University – Whitewater
ABC 101: Course Name
Professor (or Dr.) Firstname Lastname
Date
Schizophrenia and Homelessness
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), about 582,462 Americans were experiencing severe homelessness as of 2022 (NAEH, 2022). Statistics indicate that while schizophrenia affects 1% of Americans, about 20% of people without housing suffer from mental health conditions. As indicated by Gutwinski et al. (2021), there is a dual relationship between schizophrenia and homelessness. On the one hand, homelessness leads to developing mental health conditions. On the other hand, mental health condition also leads to homelessness. In other words, one strategy for combating homelessness is dealing with cases of schizophrenia effectively.
In 2022, California passed the CARE Court Act that focuses on state citizens struggling with severe mental health problems. The act bolstered the state’s $15.3 billion budget to tackle homelessness by providing an additional $11.6 billion annually to deliver mental health services (CalHHS, 2022). The purpose of the Act was to empower individuals with untreated schizophrenia. Aside from limiting the individual from leading a healthy and meaningful life, the problem with schizophrenia i...