My letter to the
press (TODAY newspaper)on the above subject is published today, Friday 5 December
2014,
I was saddened
to read about the murder-suicide reported in “AMK double deaths: Daughter in
‘unsound state of mind’” (Dec 4). Two lives could have been saved if only
treatment for Andrea Tay had been sought.
When a person
or even his/her carers are in denial about his/her mental illness, it is one of
the biggest obstacles to recovery.
In addition,
myths and misconceptions surrounding mental illness often prevent carers from
seeking professional help for their stricken ones.
Public
education on mental illness must be intensified islandwide because many people
still believe that faith healers, bomohs (Malay shaman) and mediums can cure
sufferers of mental illness. By taking this route, the patient becomes more confused.
When
professional treatment is delayed, the patient’s condition worsens. In
contrast, with medication, psychotherapy or both, the majority of people with
mental disorders can return to a normal lifestyle. Indeed, there are many
success stories.
Family members
can help by finding sources of information that can help them to understand how
the illness affects the person.
Caring for the
mentally ill is anything but easy, so it is imperative that the family also
finds sources of support for themselves.
With the
Ministry of Social and Family Development now rolling out more programmes for
carers, the journey of caring for loved ones with mental illness is going to be
smoother than it was previously.
The Institute
of Mental Health has a competent healthcare team: Doctors, nurses,
psychologists and counsellors who can help to stabilise patients, as well as a
department of community psychiatry, which monitors outpatient treatment.
Those who are
unable to pay for treatment can approach the social workers there for support.
My late wife, who coped with schizophrenia for four decades, had benefited from
these programmes.
To help
patients and families cope better, it would help if friends, grassroots leaders
and religious groups play a supporting role, so that the mentally ill and their
carers do not feel alone.
RAYMOND
ANTHONY FERNANDO
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