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Charleston Leader

Sunday, December 22, 2024

The Link Between Homelessness and Suicide

Highlandhospital

The Link Between Homelessness and Suicide | https://highlandhosp.com/

The Link Between Homelessness and Suicide | https://highlandhosp.com/

The Link Between Homelessness and Suicide

Mental Health Disorders and Homelessness

Which came first, mental illness or homelessness? Sometimes this can seem like an impossible riddle as the two are so closely linked. Individuals with mental health disorders are more susceptible to three primary problems that contribute to homelessness: poverty, disaffiliation, and personal vulnerability (Ruff Institute). Members of the homeless community often lived in poverty before they became unhoused, many often since childhood. Homeless individuals are often invisible within the larger community, pushed to the fringes by methods used to keep them off crowded streets in the open for all to see. If an individual became homeless without a prevalent mental illness, the risk of developing one or an advance in dormant symptoms increases exponentially once they are no longer stably housed. The stress associated with homelessness can exacerbate existing conditions as well as increase fear, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and substance use (Ruff Institute). The cost of appropriate behavioral health and psychiatric care creates a barrier to accessing necessary help as essentials such as food, clothing and shelter are understandably prioritized.

Risk Factors for Suicide

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2020, 47,979 Americans died by suicide and there were an estimated 1.2 million suicide attempts. Given suicide is still a taboo topic that is spoken about in whispers, this number may be exponentially higher. These statistics only begin to scratch the surface of how prevelent and alarming this issue of suicide is in the United States. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council identified factors that increase the risk of an individual completing suicide including depression and mental illness, anxiety and stress, family conflict, isolation and loneliness, domestic and sexual abuse, unemployment, alcohol and drug use, previous suicide attempts, and adverse childhood experiences. These factors also happen to have a correlation with the risk of experiencing homelessness. A lack of safe and stable housing is a traumatic experience filled with risks for abuse or exploitation, daily stress around how to survive another day, and loneliness at the fringes of communities. Without proper support around the risk factors that make suicide a more likely outcome for homeless populations, the epidemic that is killing Americans and bringing suicide further up the list of most likely cause of death will continue to grow.

Substance Use and Suicide

In 2016, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated one in every twelve adults in the United States suffered from a substance use disorder. Again, these statistics are from before the Covid-19 pandemic that increased the isolation and stressful environment substance use thrives in so it is reasonable to estimate this statistic is even more concerning in the present day. Chronic substance use can decrease inhibition, as well as increase symptoms of depression and anxiety, which places an individual at higher risk of experiencing suicidal ideation. Individuals experiencing the stressors of homelessness along with the challenges of mental illness are at even higher risk of substance use being a contributing factor to completing suicide. As with mental illness, addressing a substance use concern is often not prioritized over basic needs such as clothing, food and shelter, therefore leaving room for a progression of the disease.

The Big Picture 

There is not one specific thread that ties homelessness and suicide together. Often a combination of trauma, stress, mental health disorders, substance use, and lack of affordable services come together to form the perfect storm that increases the likely of suicide in the homeless population. Addressing the massive problem of suicide in the United States is a monumental task in itself and is only made harder by the complex issue of suicide in our country. We are here to help — contact us today.

Original source can be found here

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