Some History on Homelessness

Mental health can sometimes get portrayed in a negative light. There are many stigmas that have become very harmful with those who have mental disorders. The lack of care amongst those with mental disorders has skyrocketed throughout the past century. The deinstitutionalization of those receiving help in state hospitals had originally sparked the mass migration of the people onto the streets. By the 1950s, state-funded hospitals had emptied the wards and sent the patients to group homes across the states. The poor living conditions and lack of proper medication management led to patients leaving houses and inevitably wandering the streets with nowhere to go.

In 1967, while Reagan was governor of California, passed the Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act, which made it almost impossible for involuntary hospitalization except in extreme cases. This made this dire situation and soon thereafter, thousands of people with mental disorders became a threat to the public. Violence and police intervention had increased and still, nothing was being done. People who were sick were being locked up instead of getting much-needed help.

Although the magnitude of the situation was still not seen for what it was, President Jimmy Carter signed the Mental Health Systems Act which would lend aid to prevention of mental illness and “promotion of positive mental health.” However, when Reagan came into office, the act was never set into place. Under Reagan, the those with mental illness never had a chance. Similarly to Nixon, Reagan associated psychiatry with communism therefore never addressing the issue in an appropriate context.

Due to the lack of options for those with mental disorders, statistics have shown a rise in homelessness, violence, and deaths. Untreated mental illness had been the cause for these unfortunate numbers but still, there hasn’t been much progress. All over the country, people who are sick are being thrown out on the streets to fend for themselves. Once homeless, they are ostracized and looked down on for their lack of ability to get a job like everyone else. There is a lot of compassion and effort to get these people help they so desperately need, but it’s a long way from a real solution.

If you are suffering from addiction, alcoholism and/or mental health, there is hope for you! Enlightened Solutions clinical, holistic, and 12-step approach is designed to transform patients lives within the body, mind, and soul. Call today for more information: 833-801-5483.