A Social Psychiatry Perspective on Journey of Unknown to Known: Re-integrating Homeless Persons with Mental Illness Into Their Family

Homeless Persons with Mental Illness (HPMI) are the unique population to provide health care and rehabilitation services. Many factors contribute to homelessness among persons with mental illness, such as personal health, economic, social system, and changes in family compositions, and dynamics. Moreover, the inability to access appropriate housing that caters to an individual's particular social and cultural needs might impede capacity and day-to-day functionalities. In the Indian context, families play a vital role in people with severe mental illness in providing support and care within the family. Six unknown patients admitted to the tertiary care psychiatric hospital were evaluated and managed by the multidisciplinary team. Apart from psychiatric evaluation, and treatment each patient’s family was traced using available resources (patient’s report of address, an advertisement for missing person, contacting nearest police station or post office or village panchayat or using social media networks). The social re-integration of HPMI happened with intensive work and coordination with various community stakeholders by mental health professionals. Family reintegration is possible with collaboration through the various stakeholders such as police, village panchayat, media, unique identity number, and social networks. There is a need to endow community facilities like halfway homes, day-care centres, home-based, and community-based rehabilitation to treat individuals with mental illness.