Mental Illness

The following article discusses healing practices that incorporate spirituality as part of the recovery process for individuals with mental illness and addictions whose psychological distress is exacerbated by homelessness. Arising from both secular and sectarian models of care, the approaches featured here include empathic engagement and support, Native Hawaiian Healing, meditation and yoga, group meetings […]

Higher incidence, prevalence, and acuity of medical and behavioral problems among people who are homeless warrant the availability of comprehensive medical and behavioral health services. Limited access to mental health specialists, stigma associated with mental illness, and negative health outcomes relat- ed to undiagnosed or untreated behavioral disorders make it incumbent on primary care providers

Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have been described as having a “black hole of need.” They can be friendly one minute, and “turn on you like a snake” the next. Therapists working with individuals who have BPD are advised to be prepared to “look into the heart of darkness.”1 Indeed, patients who have this

It is an outrage that here in America — the wealthiest country on earth in the year 2000 — so many people who suffer from mental illness remain homeless. Although severe mental illness has been documented in less than one-third of our homeless population, these individuals are among the most vulnerable, not only to multiple

Among the most vulnerable of persons without a safe and dependable place to call home are those who have not yet reached physical or emotional maturity. The following articles focus on mental and behavioral health issues for homeless children and youth living with one parent or none — doubled up with rel- atives or friends,

Of the half-million or more people in America who are homeless on any night of the year, approximately one-third have a serious mental illness.1 The proportion is even higher for people living outside shelters.2 At least half of seriously mentally ill adults who experience homelessness also have a sub- stance use disorder; schizophrenia, mood disorders