Health Issues In The Homeless Research Paper

Health Issues within the Homeless Homelessness is a worldwide issue and has been happening for many years. There is a large number of homeless people in America today and the amount has been increasing over the years. There are different faces of homelessness such as, female or male and old or young. The homeless population has a significant amount of issues that make it hard for them to live, but one of the main issues in the homeless is their health issues.
There are many causes of poor health conditions in the homeless. The “most common reason for being homeless are relationship breakdowns, alcohol or drug use, mental illness and financial problems” (Keauffling). Most homeless people don’t have shelter so they live outdoors exposing

“Researchers consistently found disproportionately higher rates of hypertension, respiratory illness, tuberculosis, HIV, infestations” and countless more (Fordham). Even minor health issues can become life threatening for the homeless. “Minor issues such as cuts or common colds easily develop into large problems such as infections or pneumonia”, because they don’t have the medication and the proper material to treat themselves (“Homeless”). “Chronic medical conditions have been reported, ranging from pneumonia, tuberculosis and HIV” (Schanzer). About “21% of homeless youth report injection drug use placing them at high risk for HIV infection” (“Understanding”). Another major issue is that cancer “prevalence are higher in the homeless than in the general population, including sun exposure, cigarette smoking, and alcoholism” (Schanzer). Also, they suffer from poor oral health since they can’t obtain the financial means for dental care. As I was helping the homeless at Project homeless connect, I observed the current state of their oral hygiene. One main reason for their poor hygiene is the fact that they don’t have shelter or a place to brush their teeth. There were many individuals in line to receive dental treatment in hopes of maintaining oral cleanliness. The homeless are also subjected to illnesses and poor health from a lack of clean and purified drinking

A psychotic disorder is a “severe mental disorder that can cause abnormal thinking and perception” (“Psychotic”) There are a few symptoms of this disorder and the “two main symptoms are delusions and hallucinations” (“Psychotic”). The commonly known mental disorder is schizophrenia. “Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder” (“Schizophrenia”). The cause of this disorder “includes alcohol and some drugs, brain tumors, brain infections, and stroke” (“Psychotic”). The treatments of schizophrenia “include antipsychotic medications and various psychosocial treatments” (“Schizophrenia”). Some of the commonly used medicines are Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol, and Fluphenazine. Some psychosocial treatments are illness management skills, rehabilitation, self-help groups, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Affective disorders “are a set of psychiatric diseases, also called mood disorders” (Ellis). The different “types of affective disorders are depression, bipolar disorders, and anxiety disorder” (Ellis). The only treatments of this disorder are medication and therapy. These are examples of all the different kinds of treatments needed for schizophrenia, which the homeless don’t receive resulting in their condition becoming worse and even leading to death. Treatment for this disease is extremely significant and knowing that the homeless don’t receive it makes one feel very