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Situation
SCHIZOPHRENIA IN THE STREETS 2
cognition and affect (Tench, 2016). Symptoms of schizophrenia vary from person to person, but
may include: audio hallucinations, visual hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, and muscular
abnormalities such as rigidity or waxy flexibility (Tench, 2016). It is not surprising then that
so far from that of the general pubic that a mentally healthy individual would see the
schizophrenics perception as distorted. Friendships and even family ties can be extremely
difficult for the person with schizophrenia to maintain, as other people struggle to connect with
this person and vice versa. Lacking a strong support system, many people with schizophrenia
are missing an important component in mental illness recovery that could aid them with coping.
Finding and maintaining a job can be next to impossible for a person lacking social skills.
Most employment opportunities require interactions with customers or co-workers. At the very
least, one must attend an interview and leave a positive impression with the interviewer. Such a
feat can be monumentally difficult for a person suffering with uncontrolled schizophrenia.
Services for those with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses exist; however, access to
these resources is not always easily obtained. As illustrated, financial and social supports are
often lacking in the schizophrenic population. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to aid those
with schizophrenia with medication adherence, social skills, independent-living skills, and job
training; as beneficial as this approach seems, it is common for those suffering with
schizophrenia to lack the knowledge and trust necessary to turn to these resources for help.
Additionally, these resources are more heavily present in urban areas, and are less common in
In the Richmond area alone there is a vast number of resources available to aid homeless
individuals with food and shelter. Organizations that help the needy include: the Daily Planet,
The Salvation Army, Homeward, Caritas, and countless churches, shelters, and food pantries.
While the prevalence of assistance is tremendous in urban areas, individuals with schizophrenia
need more than food and shelter; they need a multidisciplinary care team to aid in their recovery.
Some organizations, such as the Daily Planet, provide mental health and case management
services (Daily Planet, n.d.). Additionally, Caritas serves the homeless population by providing
job and skills training (Caritas, 2016). Services such as the Daily Planet and Caritas are
invaluable for their contributions to the mentally ill homeless population; however, there is a
limit to the numbers they can serve, and furthermore, there are still more people with
schizophrenia that will lack the knowledge or the trust to seek out these services.
Federal Guidelines
The prevalence of homelessness among the schizophrenic population has not gone
unnoticed by national and international agencies. An objective of Healthy People 2020 aims at
increasing the number of homeless adults suffering with mental illness that receive mental health
services (Healthy People, 2016). According to Healthy People, a mere 37% of mentally ill
homeless individuals were receiving mental health services in 2006 (2016). The World Health
medication regimen coupled with psychosocial supports. Many of the people with schizophrenia
are not receiving this ideal care; however, the WHO describes models in countries such as India
and Ethiopia where treatment has been more widespread and more beneficial thanks to efforts in
reducing the stigma against mental illness, training health care professionals, and providing skills
training, employment, and housing to those with schizophrenia and their families (2015). There
SCHIZOPHRENIA IN THE STREETS 4
is still a lot of work that needs to be done if the majority of homeless schizophrenics are to be
receiving the treatment they need for recovery; however, the US is progressing towards that goal.
Conclusion
Schizophrenia is a potentially crippling mental illness. Sufferers have an altered view of
reality, making essential skills such as social, computer, and even coping skills vastly difficult to
individuals suffering with schizophrenia that are not receiving the proper treatment. Ideally, a
greater number of these people would be receiving mental health services, including
psychosocial support and a therapeutic medication regimen. Services are in place to meet these
goals that were designed by national and international agencies; however, more mental health
services for the homeless are still needed if we are to help integrate this population back into
society.
References
Healthy People. (2016). Mental health and mental disorders. Retrieved from
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/mental-health-and-mental-
disorders/objectives
Tench, T. (2016). Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders [PowerPoint slides].
Retrieved from
https://bsmcon.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?
course_id=_2442_1&content_id=_104393_1
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs397/en/