Question

3. You are discussing the issues facing mentally ill homeless clients with another student.

1. Provide an argument for and against the following statement: Current mental health laws are inadequate and do not provide the most therapeutic environment for people with mental illness.

2. List and describe the barriers that prevent homeless individuals from receiving care.

3. What are some specific healthcare concerns of homeless mentally ill individuals?

Answer 1

ANSWER :

3 a. Mentally ill clients are facing a lot of problems as they are becoming homeless due to their psychiatric problems. As Government has regularized many laws for the wellness and safety of mentally ill clients in terms of allotting special wards in hospitals, providing therapeutic medical treatment, special treatment for mentally ill clients and so on. Mental health laws are also formed for safeguarding of homeless people, mental health laws are are as follows :

* Laws of autonomy and liberty - Mentally ill client have the right to take their own decisions on their own life and treatment choices.

* Laws of protection from abuses and restraints - People have the right to avoid abusive languages used for them and right to restraints

* Laws of access to services - Mentally ill client has the right to choose their treatment choices, know their health condition,etc

* Laws of privacy - Mentally ill client has the right to maintain privacy of personal data, diagnosis, medical reports and treatment.

But, even now the laws are not implementing to all the people especially for homeless clients. For the homeless people firstly protection is important to provide therapeutic environment and health care services to people. In many places, mentally ill clients are thrown out of homes or not accepting their presence in homes making people to come out on roads. Safety is absent for those people and the desired goals for practicing of therapeutic treatment fails.

b. For providing mental health care services to people there are some obstructions or barriers present which will cause failure of the services. Barriers that prevent homeless individuals from receiving care are as follows :

1. Presence of social stigmas for mentally ill clients that effect in accepting health care services

2. Difficulty in implementing of services to clients, as it is difficult to search people of mentally ill conditions within a given period of time

3. Poor state of understanding on mentally ill conditions

4. Unwillingness of homeless people to participate in care services

5. Lack of coordination between mentally ill, social workers and health care providers in health care sectors.