In Australia, as is the case in other countries across the world, it is generally assumed that most homeless individuals are faced with mental health challenges and that mental illness is a principal cause of homelessness (Johnson & Chamberlain, 2011).
A study targeting the homeless youth in Australia found that, although mental health and homelessness are entwined in terms of cause and effect, the relationship between the variables is not necessarily unidirectional (Dawson & Jackson, 2013). The current paper explores current literature, with the view to illuminating the linkage between mental health and incidences of homelessness in Australia.
Available literature demonstrates that homeless people in Australia “experience significant negative social and health consequences including high rates of mental health problems, such as depression and schizophrenia, behavioral disorders and disrupted schooling; the latter a further significant risk factor for a range of poor social outcomes” (Dawson & Jackson, 2013, p. 62).
In such a relationship, it may be that the experience of being homeless (e.g., constant fear, the danger of victimization) coupled with high rates of trauma and abuse before the experience of homelessness (e.g., rape, assault, family-related violence, problematic drug and alcohol use) lead to emotional distress and subsequent mental health challenges (Johnson & Chamberlain, 2011).
Studies show that most homeless adolescents in Australia demonstrate mental health problems and risky behaviors as a result of high rates of trauma arising from prior abusive family relationships, rape, and assault (Dawson & Jackson, 2013; Muir-Cochrane et al., 2010).
Another stream of research indicates that mental health challenges (e.g., delusions, thought disorder, disorientation, paranoia, apprehension, loss of motivation or interest in own welfare) conspire to heighten incidences of homelessness in Australia, implying that mental health is the primary causative agent for increased vulnerability to homelessness (Campbell & Lloyd, 2012; Dawson & Jackson, 2013).
Such mental health challenges are mostly associated with adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse or neglect (Johnson & Chamberlain, 2011), alcohol or drug-related problems, as well as lack of supportive family and social relationships (Campbell & Lloyd, 2012).
Still, another strand of research advocates for the position that mental illness may not be related to incidences of homelessness. In their recent research, Johnson & Chamberlain (2011) used a sample of 4,291 homeless people in Melbourne, Australia, to investigate the suggestion that most homeless people are faced with mental health challenges.
Their study revealed that only 15 percent of the homeless people sampled had mental health challenges before becoming homeless, lending credence to the arguments that
- mental illness is not necessarily the primary cause of homelessness, and
- most people develop mental health issues after becoming homeless, in large part due to the anxiety and depression related to the status of being homeless.
In conclusion, it is clear that the literature reviewed reinforces that most homeless people in Australia experience high levels of mental health challenges; however, it is yet not clear if mental health challenges are the precursor to homelessness, or if the status of being homeless triggers multiple mental health challenges.
Despite this deficit, Australian policymakers and health care practitioners need to develop policies and interventions addressing the factors that trigger homelessness and mental health challenges, as discussed in this paper. Most Australian studies on the topic may have consistently overstated the link between mental health and incidences of homelessness, as witnessed by the fact that some Australians still develop mental health issues irrespective of the fact that they are housed.
While this paper recognizes the existence of a relationship between mental health and incidences of homelessness in Australia, it proposes a holistic approach in dealing with the individual factors (e.g., fear of homelessness, family-related violence, alcohol and drug abuse, trauma, depression, lack of supportive social relationships, etc) that trigger homelessness and mental health illnesses.
References
Campbell, M., & Lloyd, C. (2012). Drug and alcohol use of homeless within the homeless outreach team: Is there an association between drug of choice and mental health diagnosis? Advances in Mental Health, 11(1), 18-24.
Dawson, A., & Jackson, D. (2013). The primary healthcare service experiences and needs of homeless youth: A narrative synthesis of current evidence. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 44(1), 62-75.
Johnson, G., & Chamberlain, C. (2011). Are the homeless mentally ill? Australian Journal of Social Issues, 46(1), 29-48.
Muir-Cochrane, E.O., Candice, D., Drummond, A., Fereday, J., & Darbyshire, P. (2010). ‘Postcards from the edge’: Collaborating with young homeless people to develop targeted mental health messages and translate research into practice. Advances in Mental Health, 9(2), 138-147.