Protecting people with mental illness will reduce homelessness

There are a lot of people and organizations with good intentions that are deciding what will happen to a person that develops a mental illness and becomes homeless. The missing voice: the people they are trying to help.

The voice of psychiatric patients and the homeless can often only be found in statistics: the number and type of complaints, the number of traumatic events during treatment or transportation, the number of injuries. The state and private organizations have made no attempt to catalog these statistics statewide.

Psychiatric facilities and units look for the most efficient ways to process patients. It is a system of care that too often removes the dignity and rights of a person, leaving them in a vulnerable position to feel broken and helpless.

The person most likely to become homeless will at some point be transported to a psychiatric emergency room for a forced evaluation. As many as 47% will experience trauma that may cause or exacerbate post-traumatic stress disorder and after an evaluation or treatment, a person can be dumped on the streets with no place to go. That is my opinion, based on personal experience. I could be proven right or wrong — except, to my knowledge, the state and cities have done no research or kept statistics on psychiatric patient trauma during treatment or transportation.

Maine, in 1995, was the first state in the nation to begin systematically addressing the interpersonal violence that has affected the majority of people served through their Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services. On the other hand, in Alaska, the role that childhood and institutional trauma play in perpetuating mental illness and recidivism has been under-researched and underfunded.

Based on past experience, it is my impression that two-thirds of the patients at state-run Alaska Psychiatric Institute have some form of schizophrenia. These individuals, because of the projected crowded conditions, would not be successful candidates for a mega-sized homeless shelter. It is also my impression that state and city governments have very little necessary information about the homeless individuals they are trying to help.

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute is a state-owned-and-operated psychiatric facility. There are dozens of private psychiatric facilities or units that are funded by the state through direct funding or grant money, that participate in civil commitments, forced evaluations and treatment of more than 10,000 people annually. Without changes in laws or regulations, the state cannot require private psychiatric units to supply the state with statistics of patient complaints, injuries or traumatic events. Without these statistics, it is difficult or impossible for the state to do quality control.

I have been in private psychiatric units for a forced examination. Even a moderate examination of the new psychiatric evaluation and treatment rooms in private hospitals is disappointing. Patient rights are not protected because important state laws meant to protect disabled psychiatric patients do not extend to most private psychiatric units. People with a mental illness who are not given adequate state protection and care are the most likely to become homeless.

People experiencing long-term homelessness or a mental illness are often interconnected. As of now, the state and cities lack the basic information and programs to provide effective help for people who in many cases have been determined to have a disability. The state and cities must take the time to know the individuals that they are trying to help and provide fair rights.

Faith J. Myers is the author of the book, “Going Crazy in Alaska: A History of Alaska’s Treatment of Psychiatric Patients.” She has volunteered as a mental health advocate for more than 10 years.

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