A Psychiatric Patient in the Family

A Psychiatric Patient in the Family

A Psychiatric Patient in the Family





Nobody can deny that lay there has been an increased public awareness with psychiatry. Maybe this is due to the Media effect whether through the news about crimes where suspects are mentally ill, or the medical programs that are hosting a lot of psychiatrists.


However, we still face a major problem in our society and worldwide, which is the stigma of Psychiatric disorders.


Many of the families that have a mentally ill person react first by denial, and attribute any abnormalities in his/her behaviour to the surrounding circumstances. Sometimes they attribute it to possession, black magic or envy. Yet, after realizing that this person is not normal, the do not act fast fearing that others will know they have a Psychiatric Patient in the family. Even for the disorders in which the person feels he/she needs professional help, he/she avoids visiting a psychiatrist to preserve the social image.


In the previous two situations, no Psychiatric advice will be sought till the condition worsens and the Patient causes trouble. At this point, more drastic treatment measures than at earlier stages of illness may be needed; even hospitalization might become a must. Also, the long standing condition might cause irreversible damages, or intervention might be too late as in cases of suicide or harming others. Thus, the stigma of being a Psychiatric patient, or having one in the Family should be dealt with.


Fortunay, psychiatry in Egypt is one of the very advanced medical branches. Many of the Egyptian psychiatrists are famous in the international medical societies; on top of them of course is Professor Ahmed Okasha, who was the president of the World Psychiatric Association (2002-2005).


In this article, and the following ones, I will try to highlight some important information about the common Psychiatric disorders, how to detect them, and how to deal with. Meanwhile, here are some advices:

1- Surrounding environment might play an important role in our conditions, yet, if you suspect abnormality, seek help as soon as possible.
2- If you noticed any behavioural changes in one of your Family members, do not ignore, neither panic. Just keep noticing these changes for a short while to see if they persist (or increase) before deciding to seek advice.
3- If you noticed that a Family member became isolated, sad and not as the usual him/her. Do not wait for other manifestations especially if the condition is worsening rapidly.
4- If you (or a Family member) is facing difficulties in activities that you were capable of previously, seek help (e.g. a previously brilliant student started to get lower grades or fail in the exams)


Finally, do not wait till the problem gets big, fearing the stigma. Confidentiality is an important part of practicing psychiatry. So do not worry, and keep in mind that early intervention might reduce the bad consequences or even prevent them.


Dr. Hussien El Kholy
Assist. Lecturer of Psychiatry
Ain Shams University
Coordinator of Africa and Middle East Early Career Psychiatrists Council
World Psychiatric Association

المصدر: نفساني