Now, when a person does succumb to a psychotic break, they mostly show up disoriented at a hospital emergency ward, where they are directed to a psychiatric unit.
Dr. Bill MacEwan, a psychiatrist and leading researcher into housing and mental illness, walks the halls of an SRO apartment block in the Downtown Eastside on Feb. 2, 2023.The people inside, most in their 30s and 40s, looked beaten down. Some talked to themselves. The odour of marijuana filled the air. There was a plastic box to deposit used needles, but the room set aside for so-called “safe injections” was locked. Nobody used it.
My father was a bit of a square and old-fashioned, dressing better than most, in sweaters and leather shoes he bought himself. He watched The Lawrence Welk Show. I never saw him angry, although he often seemed tense. To some extent, his restraint protected him.Article content If your illness is not making you feel “crazy” to begin, the drugs will push you over the line into psychosis. Despite campaigns devoted to a “safer” drug supply, decriminalization, supervised-injection sites and anti-stigma programs,If my dad had not had stable housing, he would have been vulnerable to such a fate.
There is significant hope for recovery for most people with serious mental illness, even those who have spent a decade homeless, according to Somers’ studies. But it can’t be realized without support and treatment. And when Somers talks to police officers, they say they need more guidance on dealing with the growing host of mentally ill people, most of whom are addicted. Yet, as Somers says: “No one’s listening.”The atmosphere conveys calm and order inside Victory House. It is a palpable mood change from the seedy SRO.
I here so many people say they don’t want to go back to the Riverview style of ‘institutionalized’ care. But, these SRO’s & the life in them today, is 100 times worse than what Riverview offered. So sad we think this is ok. People living with these demons deserve better.
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Source: TorontoStar - 🏆 60. / 55 Read more »