The fast-paced growth of urban Brazil is forcing many into homelessness. Often these people turn to drugs and alcohol as relief from their daily suffering. However, the effects of these substances have brought many psychological diseases upon them. These people also deal with little or no physical, emotional, or mental support. All the factors of living out of doors play a role in how prevalent these diseases are.
Brazil is in South America on the North Eastern coast. Temperature can range anywhere from 23-40 degrees Celsius. Near the equator, the temperature does not change very much. These temperatures are very livable for human beings and so allows for many to live out of doors. Most places in Brazil gets between 1,000 to 1,500 millimeters a year of precipitation, though there is a dry season lasting from three to five months. In Amazon areas precipitation can reach up to 3,000 millimeters a year. The homeless in Brazil live in these conditions daily. To be rained on and to suffer heat from day to day can bring a great deal of stress on a person. The sun can drain energy and with no change of clothes, one is forced to remain wet after rain unless shelter can be found. The homeless also don’t often get a chance to bathe which only worsens their chances of getting a secure job.
Brazil’s social classes are very apparent. Due to immigration from Japan, Turkey, Syria and Middle Eastern countries in the early twentieth century, many interracial marriages took place, downplaying racial differences. However, although Brazil boasts “racial democracy,” there is a strong correlation between light colored skin and higher income, education, and social status. Blacks, for instance, almost never achieve prosperity. Although racial discrimination is not outwardly seen or heard, those who are white or nearly white, receive more advantages. And instead of referring to skin color, people talk of “good or bad appearances.” It is the people of bad appearances who are in the streets scrounging for money and food. They did nothing wrong and are being mistreated just for their skin color. Those interviewed are aware of this and yet they can do nothing about it.
A third of Brazil’s population is considered poor. This is due to medium range income per capita. The United States is in the high range. This portion is poor mainly due to discriminations as explained above. In the 1990’s about half the poor population was in rural Brazil and the other half in urban Brazil. However, job opportunities were more likely in the cities, enticing many from rural areas to move to there. This however, had no effect to change the division between the rich and poor. The poor who moved to the cities only found themselves in a different kind of destitution.
It is human nature to survive by whatever means possible. People will go to great length to satisfy the basic needs: water, food, and shelter. Due to the economic and social situation explained above, many people are forced to live in the streets, seeking shelter anywhere they can. Children are used to earn money for themselves or family members. Homeless people often seek government help, but even still, their lives are bleak. When people apply for welfare, government action can take years to process the requests and more people are turned away than accepted. The hope for help is shattered.
A study was done to see how many people living in the streets have family connections or live alone. Men mainly live alone and women with other women or family members. A number of children reported returning to a family meeting place at night or on weekends, but during the day lived and worked alone. Boys and men are also most commonly found on the streets while the number of girls is significantly less. With hardly any family support, it is no wonder that the children on the street grow up with almost no sense of self or a sense of helping each other. They have to focus on themselves; their food, their water, their shelter. Sometimes parents stay with the children, but some are forced to abandon them when they reach an age of self help or parents leave infants on door steps hoping for a kind person to take in their child. Siblings also try to stay together until that situation hinders them and then they split off. When asked who would be contacted if the children needed help or protection, most named unrelated adults.
If people can, many will live in groups, men and boys, or women and girls, sometimes families, in rundown or abandoned apartments. These apartments are cramped and dirty and are often the breeding ground for germs and diseases. They spread easily among the homeless. A huge epidemic in urban Brazil is HIV and AIDS. For more information, see the Homeless Youth page.
The psychological effects of living homeless are broad and abounding. People are plagued with emotional and mental disorders. All the factors mentioned above are major causes of these diseases from the socio-economic situation to Brazil’s climate to living situations. To be labeled according to one's background and to be vulnerable to nature have true and lasting effects. The hardship of finding work to earn money to attain food and often having to find shelter from night to night has a substantial effect on these people's psyches.
The following are disorders found among the homeless in Brazil.
Alcohol dependence Alcohol-related psychotic disorders:
Alcohol-related dementia,
Other substance dependence
Mood disorders:
Major depression,
Disthymia,
Recurrent transient depression,
Organic disorder
Neurotic disorder:
Phobias,
Generalized anxiety disorder,
Dissociative disorder,
Personality and behavior disorder,
Mental retardation
Mood disorder:
Major depression,
Recurrent transient depression,
Organic disorder,
Schizophrenia,
Neurotic disorder,
Mood disorder
Other mood disorders:
Neurotic disorder,
Phobias,
Generalized anxiety disorder,
Dissociative disorder,
Organic disorder,
Personality and behavior disorder,
Schizophrenia Mental retardation,
Major depression,
Disthymia
All these varying disorders are found among some 40 million Brazilian. That is one third of the entire population.
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