There's no place like a home

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As I pondered, "what will I remember from this class in 5 years" the only answer that came to mind is what will I not remember? The small details and facts memorized for a test may not make it to my long term memory, but the large concepts are lodged in there. So much of this class is applicable to daily life, and many times while reading I would have an Oprah "ah hah" moment.
For my thesis work, I am taking Abnormal Psych next semester, so in having to choose one thing I will remember from this class, it would be the information on disorders, from the physical reasons (genes, neuron transmitters) to the disorder descriptons and videos showing the disorder within people.
My thesis work is on the mentally ill population and the lack of affordable housing. The homeless population grows in the United States, and mentally ill individuals make up a large part of it. I volunteered at a phone crisis center, which is where I first listened to the issues the mentally ill have in obtaining and keeping housing. There have been strides made in the last ten years, but affordable, safe housing continues to be an issue. If a person doesn't have a safe base, it is hard to ascend Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If one doesn't know where they will sleep that night, how can they stay on a health regimen of taking medication and feeling a sense of stability? An article that highlights the difference a stable home can make to a mentally ill person is one by Padget that I have attached. The qualitative study allows the mentally ill person's voice to be heard, and share what having a secure home means to them, They are a vulnerable population with little voice in politics, yet are directly affected by the policies and budget cuts made in affordable housing and health care. wizard.bmp


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This is a very sad, but true analysis. It's a topic that's hard to discus and really know, what solution can we/our government come up with? On one hand, everyone deserves to have there place that they can call home and be able to become the person that they want to be. But on the other hand, how are we supposed to provide this for everyone in need since there are million to billions of people with this struggle. Even if everyone were to be given a home, who is to say that they would be able to stably put themselves in society and work there way up in the world. One of the biggest problems associated with the poor is the lack of education to most people in this category. Even if there provided the basic needs they might not have the education to know how to maintain it and grow from there. Like I said, it's a complex issue and we can only hope that we continue fighting this problem and also putting more effort towards it.

It is true that it is a problem that is often ignored. Have you read the Soloist? You might enjoy it...

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About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by rihax003 published on April 29, 2012 9:14 PM.

Nature vs. Nurture: Which matters more? was the previous entry in this blog.

Proximity is the most significant! is the next entry in this blog.
