Saturday, January 30, 2010

In celebration of the Spring Festival

Dear Friends,

Goodbye to the old,
Hello to the new
The spring festival is here
And the Chinese community takes their cue

Chinatown is bustling with activity at the start of the light- up
Time to purchase new clothes, pay off debts,
Get new haircuts that will all bring good luck
Family members are painting the window panes and doors
While the housewives are cleaning the walls and the floors

Before the family tuck in on the New Year’s Eve feast
The food is offered to the Gods
Mandarin oranges and Ang Pow or red packets are exchanged
Vibrant colours of paper and flower decorations make their presence felt
In spruced up home that are tidy and so well kept
The colour of red represents happiness and vitality
The colour of gold represents good fortune and wealth

The lighted fireworks brighten up the sky
And we all wonder how time flies
We welcome the year of the Tiger without fear
Gong Xi Fa Cai and a Happy New Year
Spread goodwill to one and all
And have a ball!

Sincerely,

Raymond Anthony Fernando
@copyrightraymondfernando

Monday, January 25, 2010

Get rid of stigma of mental illness: Raymond's letter to the press

My letter to the press was published today in the New Paper, Monday 25 January 2010, page 19.

I refer to the report, “Who will care for her when I'm gone? (The New Paper, 16 Jan).

Bipolar disorder sufferer Goh Hai Eng is not alone in her fears.

As a caregiver to my wife who has struggled with schizophrenia for 35 years, I too worry a great deal about who will take care of her if I should pass on first.

There needs to be better support for caregivers whose lives are already greatly strained by loved ones suffering from mental illnesses.

This tragedy involving a psychiatric patient is bound to further stigmatise the mentally ill.

There have been calls by neighbours to lock up people suffering from mental illness as they are perceived to be troublemakers.

But this is certainly not the right solution.

We must encourage treatment and remove the stigma that is attached to mental illness. I have always felt that the Institue of Mental Health (IMH) should change its name to “Mind Wellness Institute”. Avoid using the word “mental”.

Perhaps incentives can be given so that patients are more willing to continue their treatment or laws can be changed so that IMH can be empowered to bring people suffering from mental illness for mandatory treatment.

The new sentencing options by the Ministry of Home Affairs where mandatory treatment orders require offenders to undergo psychiatric treatment is the right move.

It will certainly help to reduce the hardship, suffering and anxiety which family members face when a loved one is stricken with mental illness.

Many patients are in denial and will not want to seek treatment because of the social stigma that is attached to mental illness.

Once they are able to persuade the stricken ones to undergo psychiatric treatment, caregivers have to ensure that there is strict compliance with the doctors' orders concerning medication and continuing treatment. But this is never easy because nobody likes to take medicine.

This is where incentives can help. Why not have an annual lucky draw in which those who do not default on their treatment and medications for 12 months are given a chance to win holiday packages, cash, vouchers and so on?

I am sure the Ministry of Health (MOH) and its partners can get established companies to sponosor these, as it is a worthy cause.

Another way to reward those who continue treatment is for MOH to top up the medisave accounts of such patients.

IMH, which sees the largest number of psychiatric patients here, must also play its part in ensuring that no one under its care misses their appointments.

An alert system that prompts the outpatient clinics when patients miss their appointments should be interfaced with IMH's community psychiatric department, which can then send a team to find out why the patients have not followed up on treatment.

RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Give more help for the mentally ill and their caregivers

I refer to the report, “Who will care for her when I'm gone? (The New Paper, 16 Jan).

Bipolar sufferer Madam Goh Hai Eng is not alone in her fears. As a caregiver to my wife who has struggled with schizophrenia for 35 years I too, worry a great deal as to who will take care of her if I should pass on before my wife. There needs to be better support for caregivers whose lives are already greatly strained by loved ones suffering from mental illnesses.

Certainly this tragedy involving a psychiatric patient is bound to further stigmatise the mentally ill. Further more, if there are more cases like this one, enclaves will form in our neighbourhood and sufferers of mental illness and their caregivers will continue to be shunned and isolated. As it is, there have been calls by neighbours to lock up people suffering from mental illness as they are perceived to be trouble makers. But this is certainly not the right solution.

Patients suffering from mental illness are always plagued with financial problems. While charitable foundations raise funds on a national level for various illnesses, such as kidney failure and other physical ailments, mental illnesses do not receive similar attention and support. I myself have made several appeals for money to be raised for the mentally ill, but my pleas have gone unheard. Yet this is a group that is in dire need of financial assistance.

Despite the many successes Singapore have achieved, the numerous 'number one' accolades – the best airport, the best port facilities and so on, our country and civil society comes up dramatically short when it comes to the mental health system.

Everyone of us, including all government agencies and mental health providers must play their part in helping psychiatric patients and their families. The Ministry of Health (MOH) cannot do it alone.

We must encourage treatment and remove the stigma that is attached to mental illness. I have always felt that IMH should change its name to “Mind Wellness Institute” (MWI) instead of the Institute of Mental Health. Avoid using the word “mental”.

Perhaps, incentives could be given so that patients are more willing to continue treatment or laws need to be changed so that IMH can be empowered to bring people suffering from mental illness for mandatory treatment.


RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Raymond's letter to the New Paper: On SingPost publicity stunt gone wrong

My letter to the New Paper was published today, Wednesday 13 January 2010, page 22.


I refer to the report, “It wasn't meant to cause alarm” (The New Paper, 7 Jan).

Motorcycles in carparks have been burnt by vandals and loan sharks have splashed paint and scrawled graffiti at households claiming someone there owes them money.

These loansharks threaten innocent neighbours when they are unable to track down the borrowers.

The publicity stunt by SingPost sends the wrong message to such criminals that vandalising public property is okay.

I am disappointed that Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (MCYS) is not taking a tough stand on this matter.

As the official sponsor for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), did SingPost keep MCYS informed of the “vandalism” publicity stunt?

And if so, was the publicity stunt approved?

Can both MCYS and SingPost clarify this
?

The police have a responsibility to ensure that law and order is maintained in Singapore and they must take a serious view of this publicity stunt.

At the same time, compassion must also be shown to people who are going through stress which they find hard to cope with.

RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Loving a schizophrenic

The story of one man's love for his mentally ill wife as they tide through with inadequate assistance in Raymond Fernando's own words.

This article is written by Caregiver Raymond Anthony Fernando and has first been been posted on The Online Citizen website on 23rd December 2009.


I met Doris on Good Friday 1974. She was 20 years, a young, sincere and caring woman. But three years before, she became stricken with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is perhaps the most distressing of all mental disorders. It is a complex illness that affects about 1 out of every 100 people during their lifetime. People with this disorder suffer from difficulties in their thought processes, which in turn lead to hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking and unusual speech or behaviour. Its effects are confusing and often shocking to both families and friends.

Despite knowing this, I decided to take Doris as my lifelong partner. We got married in November 1974, after she turned 21. I was 23 years old then.

Many people have asked me why I willingly married Doris despite knowing of her mental illness. My answer to them is a simple one: If schizophrenia is part of the life of the woman I love, then it must surely be part of mine too. I do not necessarily like what the illness does to her, but it is her that I love. And that has, and will always be, the guiding, motivation force of my life.

Since I married Doris 35 years ago, I have gone through an extremely difficult and lonely journey in seeking to provide the necessary care and help for my wife. Even our own relatives have distanced themselves from us because they refuse to share in caregiving duties. Furthermore, the social stigma that plagues those who suffer from mental illnesses make it harder for us to seek help from society,

Let's face it - when you are looking after a loved one with mental illness, you are all alone in this world.

Despite the many successes Singapore have achieved, the numerous 'number one' accolades – the best airport, the best port facilities and so on, our country and civil society comes up dramatically short when it comes to the mental health system.

Finding employment is one area where people who suffer from mental illness experience huge difficulties. Many patients are unable to find work; most job application forms require job seekers to declare if he/she she has mental illness, thus placing sufferers of mental illness at a clear disadvantage.

But finding employment is an important part of the recovery process, and helps patients lead a better quality of life. When recovered patients find work, it gives them a sense of worthiness and allows them to be self-reliant. They could take up jobs that are not highly pressured, such as clerical or data entry work. Jobs in the food and beverage industry, cleaning and security could also be offered to these recovered patients.

Yet the requirement for patients to state their history of mental illness would almost certainly prevent them from securing a job.

The usefulness and necessity of this declaration needs to be looked into. Its removal perhaps would go a long way to help people who have suffered mental illness find meaningful employment. If the public sector takes the lead and removes this clause, I have every confidence that the private sector will follow suit.

Financial problems are also very common to patients and their families. While charitable foundations raise funds on a national level for various illnesses, such as kidney failure, mental illnesses do not receive similar attention and support. I myself have made several appeals for money to be raised for the mentally ill, but my pleas have gone unheard.

Yet this is a group that is in dire need of financial assistance. Patients themselves, as I've already mentioned, would not be able to hold down a job. But those who look after them are also heavily burdened; caring for a loved one suffering from mental illness requires dedicated care round-the-clock. As a result, many caregivers have to give up their day jobs, further increasing their financial difficulties.

The government should consider ways of alleviating such financial stresses. One possibility is to offer grants for patients who have recovered from mental illness that allows them to work from home. Patients who have literary or artistic skills could be provided with grants or sponsorship that pays for the publishing of their books or paintings, which will in turn help them to earn some income from royalties. They will feel uplifted and encouraged once people show support for their work.

My wife is a good example. She has benefited emotionally from the success of her books, and is motivated to continue writing. By doing so, it keeps her mind actively engaged, thus preventing dementia from also setting in.

Besides providing financial assistance to patients, the caregivers themselves will also benefit immensely from government aid. A caregiver's allowance, for instance, would alleviate any financial troubles they may have. Such a support scheme will help to raise the quality of caregiving and should not be regarded as a handout.

But sadly, such grants are hard, if not impossible, to secure. Some organisations that I have approached, such as the Centre for Enabling Living, are reluctant to make the appeal on our behalf. Others such as the Lien Foundation and the Shaw Foundation have turned down my request for sponsorship after I wrote to them on an individual basis.

Such difficulties extend to other areas in our daily lives as well. When I wanted to take up a life and medical insurance policy for my wife, insurance companies turned me down. As my HDB flat underwent a lift upgrading programme, I had hoped that a day care centre could allow my wife to use their facilities, as the excessive noise could trigger a relapse of her mental illness. But my request was rejected; I was told that persons with mental illness are not allowed to use their facilities. Although the day care centre management eventually offered my wife the use of their facilities after I wrote a letter to My Paper, I had to decline as I was unable to afford their $900 monthly fee.

Many families who have relatives suffering from mental illness are finding it so hard to cope. I know this very well because I sit in support groups where caregivers often breakdown and cry uncontrollably when they have to struggle in caring for their stricken ones all alone.

Beyond the lack of material assistance, the equally-crucial element of emotional support for caregivers is also very weak. Having witnessed firsthand how my wife has suffered horrifically from schizophrenia, I personally have gone through much mental stress and anguish.

We do not have a system in place where the caregiver is given unconditional support when a loved one suffers a relapse. Each time Doris suffered from a relapse and had to be warded in the Institute of Mental Health, I go through enormous emotional pain. There was no one to comfort me during these most depressing moments. Many a time as she went through electro-convulsive therapy to bring her back to a stable condition, I am left alone without any emotional support.

Even the media is not very supportive. Local television for instance helps feed the prevalent social stigma against people who suffer from mental illness. Mandarin television programmes often use the phrase ‘shen jing bing’, which translates as ‘crazy’, in local Chinese dramas and this insensitive language aired during prime time is not helping to de-stigmatise mental illness in Singapore.

Little wonder why persons suffering from mental illness are always shunned and isolated. And even though I have raised this issue, such as by writing to a newspaper, I still hear this remark being used frequently on television. There needs to be greater public sensitivity to the emotional damage such phrases can do to people whose lives are already greatly strained by mental illnesses.

Raymond Anthony Fernando
Caregiver to Doris