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When basic supplies are missing, what to do? Specific demands of the local street population in times of coronavirus - a concern of social psychiatry.

Authors :
Neto MLR
de Souza RI
Quezado RMM
Mendonça ECS
de Araújo TI
Luz DCRP
de Santana WJ
Sampaio JRF
Carvalho PMM
Arrais TMSN
Landim JMM
da Silva CGL
Source :
Psychiatry research [Psychiatry Res] 2020 Jun; Vol. 288, pp. 112939. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Apr 13.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Background: Homeless experts and some federal housing officials are sounding the alarm that the patchwork of government efforts to address the coronavirus outbreak risks leaving out one group of acutely vulnerable people: the homeless. In terms of isolation, it is too unclear what that looks like if you normally sleep on the streets. In this tough moment, when people should be turned away, not only it feels inhumane, but it is also a big public health risk, because where are they going to go?<br />Method: The studies were identified using large-sized newspapers with international circulation RESULTS: With more cities suspecting community transmission of the novel coronavirus, people who sleep in shelters or hunker down outside already have a lower life expectancy and often have underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk if they develop COVID-19 (Global News, 2020). These people face lack of sleep, malnutrition, and "extreme stress levels just to meet their daily needs", all of which weakens the immune system. Along with mental illness or substance abuse disorders, they are "incredibly vulnerable to this virus".<br />Conclusions: Health organizations are well aware of the risks involved in mental health. A large population of homeless people experience their pain and psychological distress intermittently. For low-income patients, the various borderline situations related to health/illness involve growing expectations regarding the basic needs. This is a serious concern when linked to the pandemic.<br />Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.<br /> (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1872-7123
Volume :
288
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Psychiatry research
Publication Type :
Editorial & Opinion
Accession number :
32304928
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112939