Research into mental health and homelessness

As our project is about the effect that pets have on mental health for homeless people I did some research into mental health itself, this included looking into charities and at articles already written so that I could see 1. facts and figures about mental health and 2. how it gets written about in the media.

Mind

Mind provide support and assistance to anyone experiencing mental health issues.
The charity Mind has a webpage where they list all the different types of mental health issues, what they are and how to deal with them in a constructive and healthy way.
These include;

(1) Anger= A natural response from someone when they feel attacked, frustrated or treated unfairly. Being angry can be constructive, it can help motivate people, help people defend themselves and help to identify problems or things that are hurting us.
Anger becomes an issue when it starts to harm the individual experiencing it and those around them. This can occur when; your anger is express through destructive behaviour, or it's having a negative impact on your mental/physical health.
"Anger can contribute to mental health problems, and make existing problems worse. For example, if you often struggle to manage feelings of anger it can be very stressful and might negatively effect your self-esteem. This can lead to you experiencing problems such as depression, anxiety, eating problems or self-harm. It can also contribute to sleep problems, and problems with alcohol and substance misuse."
When you experience anger for a long period of time it can affect physical health contributing to illnesses like;

Colds and flu, digestive problems and high blood pressure.

(2)Anxiety/Panic attacks= Anxiety is when someone feels worried, tense or afraid either about things that are about to happen or things that could happen. Anxiety can become a mental health issue if it impacts on someone's ability to live their life 'normally'.

"For example it may be an issue for you if you;

• Have feeling of anxiety that are very strong or last a long period of time
• Your fears or worries are out of proportion to the situation
• You avoid situations that might cause you to feel anxious
• Your worries feel very distressing or are hard to control
• You regularly experience symptoms of anxiety (this could include panic attacks)
• You find it hard to go about your everyday life or do things you enjoy"

Depression= "Depression is a low mood that lasts for a long time, and affects your everyday life. In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn’t stop you leading your normal life but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile. At its most severe, depression can be life-threatening because it can make you feel suicidal or simply give up the will to live."

Different types of depression

• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)- depression that usually (although not always) happens in the winter.
• Dysthymia/persistent depressive disorder/chronic depression- continuous mild depression that last for two years or more.
• Prenatal depression/Antenatal depression- occurs during pregnancy
• Postnatal depression (PND)- occurs during the first few weeks/months after becoming a parent. (usually diagnosed in women but can affect men too)

(3) Drugs/Alcohol= People take recreational drugs (including alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy) for many reasons such as; to get a pleasurable experience, to help them feel better if their experiencing a bad time, peer pressure or experimentation.

They can be legal (nicotine/alcohol), illegal or controlled (medication).

(4)Loneliness= "Feeling lonely isn't in itself a mental health problem, but the two are strongly linked. Having a mental health problem increases your chance of feeling lonely, and feeling lonely can have a negative impact on your mental health. "

Things that help with loneliness include;

• Finding the source of your loneliness
• Make new friends
• Open up more to people
• Try not to compare yourself to people

**We emailed MIND asking for an interview and received an automated email in reply with no further corrispondance**

Mental health foundation

(5)The Mental Health Foundation is a UK charity that aims to find and address the sources of mental health problems, it relies on public and grant funding to campaign/give good mental health for everyone. 

"Good mental health is fundamental to thriving in life. It is the essence of who we are and how we experience the world. Yet, compared to physical health, so little is commonly known about mental ill health and how to prevent it. That must change."

(6)Having somewhere to live is an important factor in people's mental and physical health, by knowing they are in a safe and secure environment an individual is able to relax and be less stressed reducing things like anxiety etc.

Having a mental health problem can be the reason some people are faced with being homeless, however this can also be flipped around as poor housing or homelessness can increase a person's risk of developing a mental health issue. This can make it hard for people for recover from things like depression as these things can be exacerbated by living conditions, this has a knock on affect on how they qualify for secure housing and find/maintain a job.

"In 2015, 32% of single homeless people reported a mental health problem, and depression rates, for example, are over 10 times higher in the homeless population"

Homeless Link

(7)Is a membership charity for organisations that work directly with people who have become homeless all over England. They work to make services better, as well as campaigning for policy changes that will help to end homelessness.

(8)"73% of homeless people reported physical health problems...80% of respondents reported some form of mental health issue, 45% had been diagnosed with a mental health issue"

"17.5% of those with mental health issues and 16.7% with alcohol issues would like support but aren't receiving it"

"7% have been denied access to a dentist or GP"

"The latest data research shows 36% of homeless people admitted to hospital reported being discharged onto the streets with no where to go...in 2010 this issue was reported by 73% of respondents admitted to hospital"

Following research the charity did in '12 the department of health announced £10m of funding for projects that will improve hospital discharge procedures for homeless people.

Rethink mental illness

(9) Rethink Mental Illness is a charity that provides advice and information 60,000 people a year across England to help them realize they are not alone. They also change attitudes and policies for millions of people. They have over 200 mental health services and 150 support groups in England. Rethink also campaign nationally for policy changes as well as locally. 

(10) The local authority has a duty to provide accommodation to people who are a priority need (as seen in previous research it can greatly improve mental health), people who are a priority need include people who are vulnerable because of mental illness. People who are a priority need should be offered emergency housing but should be suitable for people who have a mental illness, this can include not being placed in a high rise block of flats if you are suicidal. 

Different types of housing (some of the different types can meet different needs depending on the mental health issue);

• Independent living
• Supported accommodation
• Living with family 

Independent living options include;

• Owning your own home
• Renting from the council, housing association or private landlord
• Sharing a house with other people

Supported accommodation options are: 

• Supported accommodation
• Hostels
• Sheltered housing
• Residential care homes
• Shared lives scheme
• Therapeutic communities

Although there is quite often a long term housing while you wait for a property.

Step by step

(11) Step by Step is a charity that supports local young people who are going through hard times, including homelessness.  They help provide accommodation, personal development opportunities and support services. Their aim is to empower young people to uncover and fulfill their aspirations.

Their values include;

• Excellence (in all they do)
• Teamwork (through successful collaborations and partnerships)
• Honesty/openness
• Ownership ( of their work, words and actions)
• Strength (by building courage and resilience)

**We emailed Step-By-Step asking if we could film with them and got this reply **

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(1) MIND website "Anger" 02/16 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anger/about-anger/?o=6271#.We6DgRNSync

(2) MIND website "Anxiety and Panic Attacks" 09/17 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/?o=6272#.We6D7xNSync

(3) MIND website "Drugs-recreational drugs and alcohol" 11/16 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/drugs-recreational-drugs-alcohol/about-recreational-drugs/?o=7327#.We6EGxNSync

(4) MIND website "How to cope with Loneliness" 04/16 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/loneliness/?o=6287#.We6EVxNSync

(5) The Mental Health Foundation "Who we are and what we do" https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are

(6) The Mental Health Foundation "Homelessness and mental health" 12/15 https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/homelessness-and-mental-health

(7) Homeless Link "About us" http://www.homeless.org.uk/about-us
(8) Homeless Link "Homelessness and health research" http://www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research/homelessness-and-health-research
(9) Rethink Mental Illness "About Rethink Mental Illness "https://www.rethink.org/about-us"
(10) Rethink Mental Illness "Housing options"https://www.rethink.org/living-with-mental-illness/housing/housing-options/types
(11) Step by Step "Our approach" 
https://www.stepbystep.org.uk/7/about-us/9/what-we-do/37/our-approach/