| Updated: 2/04 10:23 am |
Published: 2/03 11:28 pm
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Within a week, there have been several acts of violence that have drawn more attention to a problem surrounding homelessness.
The most recent was Thursday night when a homeless man was accused of setting two fires and vandalizing a house and six vehicles.
Police arrested Archie Monroe.
But problems involving the homeless, especially those with mental illness are often overlooked.
Some estimates indicate at least 1 out of every 4 homeless people is mentally ill.
We don't know what prompted an outbreak of violence Thursday night in midtown, but Kevin Bethune, a therapist at Parkside Psychiatric Hospital and Clinic says, "Often an contributing factor is going to be substance."
Bethune says the vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent.
However, the heavy burden of living on the streets can easily make someone snap.
"They do have additional stresses are on their plate," Bethune told FOX23. “Where's my next meal coming from?"
He says if you combine that stress with drug and alcohol abuse you can quickly have a volatile situation.
Plus, many among the homeless who are mentally ill go untreated perhaps for many years.
"If there is a delusionary paranoia going on that elevates the risk for dangerousness," he said.
Whatever the case, it was a dangerous situation this week for an EMSA crew, who found a man passed out and smelling of alcohol behind a QuikTrip on south Utica.
The man refused medical attention. However, he's accused of attacking the medics with a knife. They subdued him, no-one was hurt, and police hauled the man off to jail.
And there was the case of the elderly man accused of walking into Saint Francis hospital with a loaded, semi-automatic pistol, 2 knives and threatening employees.
Security held him for police, who concluded, he required a mental evaluation.
"They don't know that they're acting irrationally, said Bethune. “Their reality is what's really going on."
It's not just adults facing serious issues related to homelessness: it's estimated more than one-1 out of 4 homeless people is a child or a teenager under 18.
It's important to remember there is a social service helpline: 211. There is also a crisis-hotline: (918) 588-8888.
