treets. The inhabitants of the early Skid Rows were considered homeless in a sociological sense because their lives were spent in anonymous rooms, detached from society. Persons living in the streets can be further stratified, according to the degree of social contact they maintain. At the higher level are the homeless who live with friends or relatives or in transient lodging. Below this level are the homeless who live in their cars or in emergency shelters. The bottom rung homeless live in alleys, under bridges, dumpsters, or cardboard boxes.
The level of poverty within which a homeless person lives often has a negative effect on mental health. The duration of homelessness can be classified as long-term, episodic, or transitional (Ropers, 1988, p. 178). Repeated, long-term homelessness can lead to a decline in both physical and mental health. A mass media stereotype of the homeless is that the majority are mentally ill. A problem in assessing the exact number of homeless with mental problems is a lack of consensus among professionals of a definition of mental illness. For example, if using the State of Wisconsin's current definition, that a person be committed for involuntary psychiatric treatment if that person exhibits behavior that is dangerous to himself or others, then the majority of the homeless would qualify at some time or another. Many psychological assessments are geared for middle-class clientele, thus if a homeless person were asked questions related to feelings of depression and hopelessness for instance, they would answer in the affirmative based on the material conditions of their environment.
Granted, some of the most visible homeless people do appear to be mentally ill. However, this can partly be attributed to coping behavior, substance abuse, or physiological conditions. Surviving on the streets requires coping strategies that are unacceptable to mainstream society. Homeless people are for...