Failed housing policies which were introduced after the Great Depression in the 1930s have been linked to an increased state of homelessness among Americans. The current research covers the relationship between the state of homelessness and the increased risk of depression. This literature review addresses this relationship, including showing how homeless people end up using drugs and developing mental problems. It also addresses mental health programs which have been suggested through various health programs in order to address the issue. However, there is a gap in the literature in that housing strategy that can be used to make housing affordable to low-income earners has not been addressed . Therefore, this review suggested the issue of housing policies as a new area of research that needs further investigation.
Frasquilho et al. (2015) focus on the impact of economic recession on mental health outcomes, such as they suggest that it negatively affect the population’s health. The source reveals that the most vulnerable populations are those who are living and working in worse conditions . The findings of the article demonstrated that mental health illnesses are linked to public policies which are formulated by the government, such as the housing policy which has been discriminative to the low-income earners. Taylor (2018) suggested that the burden of mental illness is high among families and children, as most Americans struggle to balance their budget constraints with allocating money to appropriate resources for supporting their families. McInerney, Mellor, and Nicholas (2013) focused on the economic recession of 2008 and illustrated that the collapsed stock market of 2008 led to a great loss of wealth, which increased the risk for depression among those who were affected. The source reveals that this loss led to increased clinically-validated measures of depression. However, the researchers stated that they found mixed evidence of the effect of the crash, failed housing policies, and the increased risk of depression.
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North et al. (2004) focused on psychiatric disorders among homeless populations indicated that among the populations that they studied, there was an increased risk for mood and substance abuse, which increased the risk of developing depression. Based on their findings, they speculated that social and economic policies affected homeless populations differently by either leading them to substance abuse or causing major depression. Parcesepe et al. (2013) conducted a systematic literature review on the public stigma that is associated with mental illness and the effects of economic hardships. They illustrated that most people have some stigmatizing believes of individual ability to survive in the hard economic times, which include the inability to afford a good house for their families. Zimmerman, Woolf, and Haley (2015) reveals that there is a large proportion of Americans that are silently suffering from depression and other mental disorders, but refuse to access treatment for fear that they might be institutionalized and lose their financial autonomy and the role of providing for their families. The article highlights stigma among children and adults as the major issue that affect American society and that future research should focus on anti-stigma interventions.
Martone, K. (2014) addresses the effect of housing policy on people who earn low income and reveals that there is nowhere in the United that a person with mental illness can afford a house. The article indicates that the affordability housing crisis is to blame for the state of homelessness that is present in the United States and suggests that the government should prioritize on providing housing needs for people with mental illness. Forchuk (2007) addresses the point that there is a disconnection among housing, income, and mental health policies, which contributed to the increased risk of mental illness. Benston (2015) reveals that there are no permanent supportive housing programs for mentally ill populations and this leads to an increased risk of mental illness among Americans. Knapp et al. (2006) suggest that there should be mental health programs to help individuals who are suffering from mental illness due to their state of homelessness.
Most studies have indicated that housing policies contribute to the state of homelessness. Other studies have focused on the provision of mental institutions as a means of helping homeless people with mental health services. However, there is little research that has been done to address how housing policies can be modified to increased affordability of housing for low-income earners. Thus, this is a new area of research that needs to be addressed in depth.
References
Benston, E. A. (2015). Housing Programs for Homeless Individuals With Mental Illness: Effects on Housing and Mental Health Outcomes. Psychiatric Services , 66, 806 –816; doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201400294.
Frasquilho et al. (2015). Mental health outcomes in times of economic recession: a systematic literature review. BMC Public Health , 16, 115. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2720-y.
Forchuk, C. (2007). Housing , income support and mental health: Points of disconnection. Health Research Policy and Systems , 5(14). https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4505-5-14 .
Knapp et al. (2006). Economic barriers to better mental health practice and policy. Health Policy and Planning , 21(3), 157–170.
McInerney, M., Mellor, J. M., & Nicholas, L. H. (2013). Recession Depression: Mental Health Effects of the 2008 Stock Market Crash. J Health Econ, 32(6). doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2013.09.002.
Martone, K. (2014). The Impact of Failed Housing Policy on the Public Behavioral Health System. Psychiatric Services , 65(3), 313-314.
North, C. S., Eyrich, K. M., Pollio, D. E., & Spitznagel, E. L. (2004). Are Rates of Psychiatric Disorders in the Homeless Population Changing? Am J Public Health . 94(1), 103–108.
Parcesepe, A. M., & Cabassa, L. J. (2013). Public Stigma of Mental Illness in the United States: A Systematic Literature Review. Adm Policy Ment Health , 40(5). doi: 10.1007/s10488-012-0430-z
Taylor, L. A. (2018). Housing And Health: An Overview Of The Literature. Health Affairs Health Policy Brief . doi: 10.1377/hpb20180313.396577.
Zimmerman, E. B., Woolf, S. H., & Haley, A. (2015). Population Health: Behavioral and Social Science Insights: Understanding the Relationship Between Education and Health. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality . Retrieved from: https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/education/curriculum-tools/population-health/zimmerman.html .
