Mental Trauma

We have been told of those people, including many who became homeless, who suffered mental trauma from the recent hurricane on the East Coast and the earthquake in the Bay Area. Mental health professionals and the media have made an effort to inform the public about the trauma and how it is treated.

This, of course, is as it should be. But what about the homeless who end up on the streets for other reasons? They, too, suffer mental trauma when they become homeless, but this is ignored. The trauma, plus the stress the homeless continue to experience, appears to destroy initiative in many and the ability to cope.

Isn’t it cruel to say that “those people don’t want to work”? And can’t their trauma-induced suffering be acknowledged and treated in an enlightened and humane manner?

G.D. RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Los Angeles