Homeless people with mental illness and substance addiction are homeless by their own volition? Really?

I was so stunned by claims in the Daily Sentinel's editorial "Homelessness and Vagrancy" this morning that I had to write this post.

Here is the part of the editorial that so shocked me: "One group, we believe, are the true homeless. They are families and individuals who may have lost jobs, gone through home foreclosure or lost their homes by other means. They are actively trying to improve their lot in hopes they will soon leave the ranks of the homeless.

"The other group is largely homeless by their own volition. They reject the conventions of society — although they accept its services when it suits them. Many have addictions to alcohol or drugs, or suffer from mental illness, or both. We have chosen to refer to this second group as vagrants."

Really? Addiction is a choice? Mental illness is a choice? First of all, it is obvious that...
no one on the editorial board spoke with at least one much less several mental health professionals before making such a claim. This is particularly disappointing considering the journalistic importance of consulting sources before making assumptions. I doubt that very many mental health professionals would assert that someone with mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction are homeless "by their own volition."

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, "through research, we know that mental disorders are brain disorders. Evidence shows that they can be related to changes in the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the nervous system. When the brain cannot effectively coordinate the billions of cells in the body, the results can affect many aspects of life.

"Scientists are continually learning more about how the brain grows and works in healthy people, and how normal brain development and function can go awry, leading to mental illnesses."

A brain disorder is no different as a disability than blindness, deafness, loss of limbs, or cancer. There are volumns of medical research about this fact. And in most cases, drug and alcohol abuse are the direct result of brain disorders/mental illness. Yet, there is a stigma of mental illness that separates it from blindness, deafness, loss of limbs, or cancer. Why?

With modern science, doctors can now see clearly the damage to prefrontal cortex, amygdala and other physical aspects of the human brain, and yet, the stigmas left over from the dark ages continue to dominate our culture -- and, if left untreated, fill our prisons.

As much as I appreciate the opportunity to write a weekly column for the Daily Sentinel, I am deeply bothered by the ignorance espoused in the Sentinel's editorial in today's paper.

As journalists, columnists, voices of the media, we have such a tremendous opportunity to educate our readers rather than reinforce dark-age ignorance. I am never surprised by the un-sourced nonsense eschewed by some of the paper's columnists, but I am truly stunned that the paper's own leadership would choose to do so.

I strongly suspect they will get gobs of letters pointing out their error, especially from mental health professionals. I hope they're not afraid to speak up. Too often, they do not speak up. Where are the advocates, the voices of and for the mentally ill? 20 percent of our population has some form of mental illness. When do we challenge the stigma and get serious about this issue?

If you're interested in learning more about the brain science behind mental illness as well as the factors that affect cellular change, the National Institute of Mental Health is a great place to start. Here's a link to the brain science page on their web site:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/educational-resources/brain-basics/brain-basics.shtml