The Homeless Woman and Her Mysterious Baby


There's a homeless woman who occasionally hangs out in a shopping center. She pushes a shopping cart with one hand, and clutches her "baby" swaddled in a blanket with the other.

Tonight she's dressed in a lightweight sweater, a skirt, and flip flops--oblivious to the 60 degree weather.

She circles the parking lot, calm and content.  She doesn't say a word.  Stroking the baby constantly and gently, she holds the baby close to her heart.  Every now and then, she stops the cart and lifts the blanket slightly to gaze at her bundle of joy.  This goes on for hours.

Most people are afraid of her; others are used to her presence.

Sometimes she rummages through the cart and pulls out a coin purse.  Still clutching her baby with one hand, she parks the cart near the door of a fast food restaurant and goes in.  She usually comes out within minutes without the food.

I've seen her several times, at nighttime and daytime.  During the daytime, she's not clutching her baby and seems more coherent.

She's an unusual homeless woman with mental illness on the streets.  She's extremely calm for someone with a disorder.

Even when the police came to escort her out of one of the fast food restaurants, she remained calm and unaffected.

I can only speculate on why she has a "baby."  When she interacts with the baby, there's a display of motherly love.  The feeling is so intense that it's sad and disconcerting.  Perhaps something traumatic or tragic happened in the past involving a baby.  Another reason could be that she just needs someone to love and hold for comfort.  It must be frightening to be a homeless woman on foot. Nighttime can be a terrifying time.

I did find out what was inside the blanket.  It was a popular stuffed animal.




Note: I gave a little more information than I normally do.  I felt it was necessary for the overall picture.  But please know that every effort was made to protect the identity of the homeless person above.

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Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1895
oddsock via photopin cc


You see them on the streets.  You hear them talking incessantly to themselves
or shouting obscenities.  You wonder why they don't get treatment, and where are their families?

According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and The Annual Homeless Assessment Report submitted to Congress, there are approximately 610,000 homeless people in America.  An estimated 124,000 of that population suffer from some type of mental illness.

California--the focus of this post--is at the top of that list, with an astonishing homeless population of about 136,800 people.

Another report prepared by a nonprofit named OC Partnership using the 2013 Point-in-Time Assessment, gives a breakdown of the area I'm most familiar with called Orange County.

In Orange County, there are 12,700 homeless people.  Out of that number, an estimated 22 percent have severe mental illnesses.  More than three-quarters of them are unsheltered.

Before you can understand why many people with mental disorders are homeless, it's important to know basic information about the illnesses and the problems of this special group.

The Definition of Mental Illness
The Brain
Ars Electronica via photopin cc
The National Alliance on Mental Illness explains that mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functions.

Although the exact cause of the condition is unknown, research informs us that the disorder may be linked to a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.

Possible Causes

Some of the possible causes that may contribute to mental illnesses are as follows:
Neurotransmitters
Birth Into Being via photopin cc

Biological Factors
  • Neurotransmitters - Billions of nerve cells in the brain communicate to each other. They send information to the brain and the body through chemicals called neurotransmitters. When these chemicals malfunction or are off balance, they significantly alter mood and behavior.
  • Genetics - Experts believe mental illness tends to run in families. Abnormal genes can be inherited from biological blood relatives and increase the risk of developing the same conditions.  Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, who painted The Scream which appears at the beginning of this post, had mental illness and so did his sister.
  • Prenatal Damage - Some evidence shows that disruption of early fetal brain development, or trauma at the time of birth (such as loss of oxygen to the brain) may cause certain mental conditions.
Psychological Factors

This category includes severe emotional and psychological trauma from childhood or adulthood.  Some examples of these life-changing events are the early loss of a parent accompanied with neglect, traumatic family life, and being a victim of mental or physical abuse.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors, which are mainly exposures to harmful elements while inutero, can have damaging effects.  Viruses, infections, toxins, alcohol or drug are possible causes of various mental disorders.

The Different Types of Mental Illnesses on the Streets


There seems to be two basic types of individuals with mental illnesses on the streets.  The first individual has severe symptoms.  He or she is incoherent, sometimes volatile, doesn't interact with others, and definitely unapproachable. The second individual has moderate symptoms.  This person is more coherent, can interact with others, and functions fairly well.  He or she can manage the symptoms, but will still display episodes of mental instability.

The types of mental illnesses most prevalent on the streets are the three disorders below:
  • Schizophrenia - A serious mental condition, the individual often experiences delusions and cannot think or behave normally.
  • Bipolar Disorder - Recurring episodes of mania and depression are the main symptoms.  The disorder causes dramatic shifts in mood, energy, and the ability to think clearly.  Symptoms can last for one day or months.
  • Major Depression - This type of sustained depression is characterized by feelings of worthlessness and helplessness, appetite disturbances, and insomnia.
Treatment and Family

Mental illnesses are disorders of the brain.  Doctors agree that the disorders are hard to treat and people who have them are hard to reach.

Numerous people do not know they need help or there are resources they can use.  The condition makes them prone to distrust others, react irrationally, and hinders their ability to form and maintain relationships.  They push away caregivers, family, and friends.  Consequently, they land on the streets.

For a family with a loved one who has mental illness, taking care of that person is exhausting and emotionally draining.  Providing care under such stressful and difficult circumstances requires an enormous amount of patience and understanding.  Sometimes it is too much for the family to handle and they cannot provide care.  If that is the case, a trained mental health caregiver with certain knowledge and skills is a good alternate plan for both parties.  But the family should work with the new caregiver to help prevent the loved one from landing on the streets.

There are also other issues the family must deal with such as conservatorship and guardianship matters and the loved one's legal rights.  The loved one can refuse treatment, counseling, and housing. 

Homeless With an Extreme Disadvantage

Surviving homelessness is a 24/7, 365 days a year goal.  Making it through each day is the whole focus of the homeless individual.

When homelessness is coupled with mental illness, it's the worst combination on the streets.  The individual is at a heightened risk for harm, easily taken advantage of, likely to self-medicate with street drugs, land repeatedly in jail or the emergency room, and remain chronically homeless.

Mental illness is treatable, but there is no cure.  The homeless person with a disorder needs continuous treatment, counseling, and housing to stay off the streets.  There are programs and services, but not enough.

Budget cuts and lack of continuous funding for mental health care have been the culprits.




Works Cited:

"2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress."  2013.  25
     Oct. 2014.  <http://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/ahar-
     2013-part1.pdf>.

"Brain Basics."  28 Oct. 2014.  <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/educational-
     resources/brain-basics/brain-basics.shtml>.

"Diseases and Conditions: Mental Illness."  22 Oct. 2014. 
     <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-
      illness/basics/causes/con-20033813>.

"Mental Illness and Homelessness."  July 2009.  22 Oct. 2014.
     <http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/Mental_Illness.html>.

"Neurotransmitters."  28 Oct. 2014.  <http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-
      Nu/Neurotransmitters.html>.

NAMI.org.  14 Oct. 2014.  <http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?
      section+By_Illness>.





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