Latest News Understanding Mental Health Challenges We live in a society which is opening up about mental health challenges more than ever before. We now understand the important role that good mental health plays in our day-to-day lives, which helps us to build relationships with friends and family, maintain a healthy lifestyle and to take control of our lives. We are also becoming more aware of mental health challenges, and how poor mental health can have an impact on our lives and the people around us. At St Petrocs, we have seen an increase in people accessing our services each month while experiencing a mental health challenge. In response to this, we are sharing an insight into this topic to share what we know about this from our perspective as we are committed to supporting our clients and raising awareness of the issues that they are facing. What is the current situation in Cornwall? Every year, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health challenge, which can include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and a range of other diagnoses.1 Unfortunately, for some people, a unique mix of life factors, combined with a long-term, severe mental health condition can in some cases, lead to an experience of homelessness. In July 2024, 68% of people who accessed our outreach services and resource centres reported that they were experiencing a mental health challenge. According to Homeless Link, 82% of people experiencing homelessness nationally have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.2 This research suggests there is a clear link between the experience of homelessness and mental health challenges. Statistics show that Cornwall is reported to have a unique mental health crisis, having one of the highest rates of suicide compared to the rest of England.3 Part of this crisis can be contributed to rural isolation, the economic strain of seasonal or insecure employment and lack of access to support services. In 2021, an overwhelming 50.5% of individuals who access our services reported either suicidal thoughts or past suicide attempts.4 Why can mental health challenges lead to experiencing homelessness? It’s important to note that not everyone with a mental health condition will experience homelessness, and that the root causes can stem from a unique combination of factors and pressures, such as life experiences and trauma. Everyone is an individual and can be affected by health and life experiences in different ways. Mental health is not a constant, and can change and go through different stages. When coupled with pressures and factors such as difficult life experiences (i.e. relationship breakdown, bereavement, financial pressure) and mental health challenges, for some, it can be impossible to maintain tenancies, jobs and relationships. In many cases, childhood trauma can underpin a mental health condition, which can be difficult to cope with and overcome, when untreated. Dual Diagnosis Many individuals that we work with have what are known as dual diagnosis or complex cases, meaning that mental health is not the only factor at play. We often see this happen when people use alcohol or drugs to cope with the symptoms of their mental health conditions or to self-medicate This can be due to the fact that: Many people's mental health conditions are undiagnosed, and they may not be aware of their own mental health challenges, or may not know exactly what they are facing, so struggle to address this. Experiencing symptoms of a long-term, severe mental health challenge, such as hallucinations, sudden mood swings, low mood and intrusive thoughts can be difficult to cope with, and for some, alcohol and drugs can make things bearable. Mark's Story Mark was working in a high-stress environment, whilst experiencing some personal difficulties, which triggered him to experience an episode of psychosis. This caused him to hallucinate and believe that people were trying to persecute him. Due to these fears, Mark was too afraid to leave the house to attend work, and in turn lost his job, causing him to be evicted as he was unable to pay the rent. Can the experience of homelessness cause mental health challenges? Yes, the experience of homelessness can have a range of effects on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. When someone is getting by without sufficient meals, food, sleep and hygiene, it can have a significant impact on their mental health. Anxiety Many of our clients experience anxiety around the experience of homelessness. Without the security of a home, they don’t know what to expect from the future, as well as anxiety around their finances and shame around sleeping rough. Low mood Feelings of low mood and hopelessness can also accompany the experience, as rejection from housing options makes people feel as though their experience will never end. We also hear reports of self-consciousness around hygiene, as people are left without access to bathroom facilities. Substance Use Drug and alcohol addiction or harmful use can be considered a mental health problem in itself, with varying levels of physical or psychological dependency. Drugs and alcohol may be used to self-medicate against the anxiety that comes with the dangers of sleeping rough, offering temporary relief by numbing the harshness of the experience. According to Homeless Link, 45% of their respondents reported that they were self-medicating with drugs or alcohol to help them cope with their mental health.3 How does St Petrocs manage this? St Petrocs uses a variety of approaches to support people experiencing mental health challenges by collaborating with mental health services, drawing on the expertise of our Mental Health Coordinator and by applying a trauma-informed approach. 1. Our homelessness team In some cases, it can take a number of weeks to find someone suitable accommodation, and people can lose hope which can cause their mental health to worsen. Our teams work to reassure and give hope to people by listening to their concerns, and continuing to fill out housing applications to seek secure housing. We are also participating in Mental Health First Aid Training so that our teams are equipped with the best practice on how to support clients in crisis. 2. Mental Health CoordinatorIn February, we welcomed a Mental Health Co-ordinator to the team, whose role is dedicated to supporting the individuals who are experiencing homelessness and who have a dual diagnosis or complex needs. This role focuses on building relationships with people who need additional support by addressing their immediate needs and coordinating with partners and agencies such as Health for Homeless and the Homeless Vulnerability Liaison Service. By supporting people to attend vital health appointments that they would struggle to do so without support and they are able to build a rapport to recognize with someone is experiencing a crisis. Additionally, they advocate for people to access accommodation by sharing their future health plans, progress and they work to mitigate risks. 3. A trauma-informed approach At St Petrocs, we are in the process of adopting a trauma-informed approach, which means to take a person’s previous life experiences and trauma into account, to be able to provide the best support. In short, this helps us to avoid triggering the people who need our support and ensures that we create an environment suitable for someone to engage in our services. This takes a variety of forms in: The language we use: By basing our use of language in research, we can avoid triggering and harmful terms, one example of this is when discussing the use of drugs, to replace the word 'clean', with 'drug-free', to avoid the insinuation that people are 'dirty'. Strength based assessments: Focus on what factors were happening when a person had a positive experience, rather than focusing on 'what went wrong'. This helps people focus on what they can do to improve their situation, rather than blaming them. Focus on what the client’s immediate needs are: By helping our clients access food, water and self-care facilities, we can improve emotional regulation to help them take the next steps on their journey. We let our clients lead our actions and focus on what they are asking for rather than what we decide is best. Building trust: By being consistent and reliable with our clients, we build trust and rapport so that they know they can rely on our services when they need to. This means we can offer our holistic support through our outreach teams, resource centres and in our houses. Kelsey's experience Kelsey called St Petrocs for help after walking out of her accommodation due to her mental health being triggered. She had recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia and struggled with the impact of traumatic experiences from her past leading her to develop a dependency on alcohol after she started drinking to cope with intrusive thoughts and voices in her head. After walking out of her accommodation, Kelsey was in a precarious housing situation with periods of rough sleeping and sofa surfing which continued to negatively impact her mental health. Our Mental Health Co-ordinator began working with Kelsey to address her complex mental health needs and harmful alcohol use . After working together for several months, our co-ordinator was able to build trust and encourage Kelsey to engage with the local Community Mental Health Team on a regular basis. By engaging with Kelsey through regular check-ins and supporting her to attend her appointments, Kelsey has taken significant steps to stop drinking alcohol, begin taking medication for her mental health condition, and engage with local services. Our co-ordinator has advocated for Kelsey to move into new accommodation by discussing her treatment pathways, support network, and plans for self-development with housing providers. We will continue to work with Kelsey to support her in accessing suitable mental health services and to maintain her tenancy. Reflections Mental health affects each and every one of us in one way or another, whether we have challenges ourselves, or know someone who does. It is important that we look out for people in our community who are struggling. St Petrocs is a symbol of community, set up in response to people who were sleeping rough in Truro with no where to go- but community doesn’t stop with us. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of people across Cornwall and beyond- to our supporters, volunteers and funders we are able to support people who need us most in our communities. If you have been affected by any of the themes discussed in this article, or would like to reach out for help, please contact : Samaritans for mental health support - click here. Our helpline for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness-click here. If you would like to help us support people experiencing homelessness in Cornwall, please consider making a donation or sharing our work to raise awareness. Support us by making a donation 1.Cornwall Mind, website homepage (2024), access: https://cornwallmind.org/ 2/3. Homeless Link, Health Needs Audit (2022), access: https://homeless.org.uk/knowledge-hub/unhealthy-state-of-homelessness-2022-findings-from-the-homeless-health-needs-audit/ 4. St Petrocs, Suicide Prevention Report (2023). Manage Cookie Preferences