Who is responsible for homeless mentally-ill patients? Some of these sufferers are seen on the streets. Their families have either abandoned them because they do not care, or believe they are affected by evil jinns. Some patients run away after their families reject them. There also appears to be a lack of proper medical support at mental institutions in the region. “We face major problems when families refuse to take back family members after they have stabilized and are ready to leave the hospital,” said Saleh Bin Zab'ann Al-Soqour, Najran region's Psychiatric Hospital Director, in a report in Al-Jazirah newspaper. When their families reject them, they become sick again and get the idea of running away. He says many of those wandering the streets are not hospital escapees. “Out of 480 homeless mentally-ill persons reported to Najran hospital in 2010 there were only three who were hospitalized that year. Most of those who escape are reported to the authorities and are pursued until they are brought to us or handed over to their families.” Al-Soqour said many patients relapse because their families do not provide proper care, including making sure they take their medication on time and take them to hospital for regular check-ups. This could also be the reason they run away from home. He said that some families abandon their ill relatives because they believe they are under spells or affected by an evil jinn. Other families do not believe in psychiatric care. “Some families do not have their ill members treated because they have erroneously lost hope and believe that psychiatric patients do not recover. Some families neglect them and sometimes drive them away,” he said. The reality is that these notions are wrong, he said. “Psychiatric disorders are like physical illnesses and happen because of biological, psychological and social factors. Scientific studies show that a patient can recover completely and live a normal life when an illness is correctly diagnosed and a proper treatment plan is implemented using medication. With health education and social rehabilitation a patient can be integrated successfully into society.” He said many people do not know they have mental illnesses or psychological problems. About 40 percent of patients at public hospitals suffer from headaches and have pain in the colon and chest. This can be the result of psychological problems, he said. Homeless mentally-ill persons need to be tackled jointly by the patient's family, healthcare and social facilities. They should be treated at facilities under the supervision of the ministries of Health and Social Affairs, he said. Ali Salim Al-Rubai, a citizen, criticized both families and psychiatric healthcare facilities. “Some patients' families refuse to have them treated at hospitals because they believe the pills they are given are addictive. Some people also avoid being seen at psychiatric hospitals. The lack of journals and leaflets at mental institutions makes matters worse. Those working in the field must try to correct attitudes toward psychiatric illnesses by telling people that anyone can suffer a psychological setback.” Homeless mentally-ill persons can hurt themselves and others. He said these patients should always be under medical supervision. Those who are not likely to recover should remain in mental institutions. He said he has been told by some people that their mentally-ill family members have shown no improvement after entering a mental health.
