Public Health--Discuss the health problems and health service issues Essay

Public Health--Discuss the health problems and health service issues that are associated with homelessness - Essay Example discussion presented in this essay will draw on evidence from a large variety of credible sources to see what past and contemporary research has to say on the subject. The gravity of this matter of homelessness is evident from statistical data revealed in one of the latest newspaper reports in the country. According to this report, as many as 112070 people identified themselves as homeless in the UK in 2014. This figure represents a whopping 26% increase in homelessness over the last four years which demonstrates the hideous proportions of this very serious matter in the country. While the rate of homelessness has increased by 26% which is a spine-chilling reality in itself, the number of those people who sleep on the streets or pavements has tremendously increased by 75% (Henley 2014). This is saying something about an ever-increasing wealth gap between the rich and poor in the UK. This gap is at its worst in the present contemporary times as a result of which homelessness has also increased at a gigantic pace. There is a definite link between homelessness and health issues in particular mental health as it is suggested by many that both entities are inextricably linked to each other. Research claims that the use of institutions like psychiatric hospitals to treat the mentally disordered homeless people has fallen in the UK. However, particularly high fear levels have been noticed in those who â€Å"spent a large proportion of their lives in psychiatric hospitals† (Glover-Thomas 2002, p. 157). It is claimed that such patients when discharged to live freely in the community have only served to â€Å"add to the homelessness problem† (Glover-Thomas 2002, p. 157). The correlation between homelessness and adverse mental health is of such extent that about 1/3rd of all homeless people are diagnosed with different critically severe mental health issues like suicidal distress, chronic substance abuse, schizophrenia, and paranoia (Videbeck 2013, p. 6). Actually,