Loose link from mental health to homeless

Mental illness is not as big a pathway to homelessness as many believe, a study suggests.

Australian researchers said despite a perception that people with mental disorders are at risk of ending up homeless, most homeless people actually develop disorders after sleeping on the streets.

Factors like family breakdowns and financial difficulties are more likely to contribute to homelessness in Australia.

"Most people when they think of homelessness, they make a connection with mental illness," said Guy Johnson, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

"There's no doubt there's disproportionately high rates of mental illness amongst the homeless population.

"(But) we thought that a number of papers that had estimated the rate had high estimates."

Dr Johnson and Professor Chris Chamberlain examined the case notes of nearly 4300 people living on the streets of inner-city Melbourne.

Their results, released this week, reveal just over 30 per cent had a mental disorder.

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Mental illness is not a convenient excuse

It is little wonder that the stigma surrounding mental illness persists (''Mum's the word'', April 20). Such is the media-cultivated perception of those who suffer from a mental illness that many of my friends struggle to believe I have a bipolar spectrum disorder. Quite simply, because I don't behave like a moron.

Too often when a crime or act of stupidity is committed, a defence of mental illness is proffered.

Most recently, Todd Carney and Anthony Watts from the Sydney Roosters were , respectively, caught drink-driving and charged with assault before their depression was broadcast by media outlets. The same has applied to the actor Matthew Newton, and the footballers Ben Cousins, Andrew Johns, Brendan Fevola and Wayne Carey to name only a few. That these men have become the public faces of depressive-related illnesses is an insult to those who suffer from and battle the dreadful symptoms with dignity. Even more so because it could easily be argued that these celebrities have made choices which create, worsen or exacerbate their respective conditions.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/mental-illness-is-not-a-convenient-excuse-20110420-1dp0t.html#ixzz1K5TbfDO3

Study of Psychology

The Study of Psychology in theoretical background dates back to olden culture of Egypt, Greece, China, India and Persia. The Historians spot to writings of early Greek philosophers such as Thales, Plato and Aristotle as primary important body of work in West to be wealthy in psychological thinking.

The word psychology accurately means the study of soul. The word psychology is derived from the Latin word psychologia. The word psyche means breath, spirit, or soul and logia means study of. The Latin word psychologia was first used by Croatian humanist and Latinist Marko Marulic in his book Psichiologia de ratione animae humanae in early 15th century or 16th century. The first reference to the word psychology in English was by Steven Blankaart in 1693 in The Physical Dictionary which refers to Anatomy which treats of Body and Psychology which treats of Soul.

The Psychological knowledge is normally applied to evaluation and treatment of mental health problems. It is also useful for understanding and solving problems in many special area of human action. The majority of psychologists are occupied in a few kind of therapeutic role like medical, psychoanalysis and training positions. Many psychologists achieve scientific research on wide range of areas associated to psychological process and social behavior typically in university psychology departments. Few of them teach such knowledge in academic background. Few of them are employed in industrial and managerial settings and also in further areas such as human growth and aging, forensics, games, health, law and media.