Relating to the mentally ill
When it comes to mental illness, people often shy away from talking about it. Not just the
ones who suffer from it, but often family members too, avoid a dialogue on mental health
or mental illnesses. It is essential to understand the importance of the way in which the
family's behaviour affects the course of mental illness in the afflicted. Many families/
parents in India have little knowledge of nature of illness, its manifestation and therefore,
they lack the knowledge of how to deal with patients suffering from the same. Considering
the commonality of mental illness in the community (10% of the general population suffers
from a major or minor illness), everyone needs to know the following facts while relating to
the mentally ill.
He is ill, and not evil – The mentally ill commonly get blamed for their undesirable
behaviour, with little realisation that they don’t have a control over their actions,
and that their behaviour is a ‘symptom’ of their illness.
Avoid being over protective or over critical – Either of these attitudes can interfere
with clinical improvement, or can precipitate relapses of the mental illness. It is
heartening to note that because of our strong family ties and a better acceptance of
mentally ill in the family than in the west, India boasts of a better recovery rate of
mental illness.
Keep stress to the minimum- The mentally ill are vulnerable to the day-to-day
psychosocial stresses like conflicts in the family or at the workplace. Stress, if it
arises, should be resolved at the earliest.
Regularity in administering the medicines, especially in the more serious mental
illnesses, is an absolute must. Medicine should never be stopped even for a day or
two, unless the issue is discussed with the doc tor.
Identify reasonable goals and reward them – Encourage and recognise progress even
if it is less than what was hoped for. Goals for some people may be continuing
college education or returning to workplace. For others, getting out of bed or coming
to the dining table is an accomplishment. Lethargy, lack of initiative (which is
common in some mental illness) should not be dealt with harshly.
Avoid relapse by knowing early signs- Early signs of recurrence of a mental illness can
be in the form of irritability, social withdrawal, losing interest in daily chores, sleep
problems, difficulty in concentration etc. The family should keep its eyes open and
discuss any such signs with the doctors at the earliest.
To put it briefly, the mentally ill can be best helped by trying to see the world through
their eyes, avoiding harsh reactions, and being encouraging and rewarding for every
small improvement they show.
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