Mental illnesses are the most devastating and disabling of the diseases, affecting the mankind, giving its afflicted and their families a life of suffering, trauma and travail. They totally destroy the persons, personally sap their capacity to lead a normal family and social life and drive them to a life of isolation from the family and society.
Often the entire personality of the person with mental health problem becomes shattered due to dys-functioning of the mental faculty. What is needed is not just medical intervention but a multiple therapeutic approach to being them back even to a semblance of normal functionality. The need is, along with psychiatric treatment a scientifically planned and organised counselling and rehabilitation program aimed at recovery and reintegration.
While the illness affects the individual, the families who are the chief caregivers suffer equally because of lack of skills to handle critical situations, inadequate knowledge of the nature of illness dismally poor facilities to treat the illness.
Psycho-Social Rehabilitation
Persons with psychiatric/mental health problems have limitations with their capacity to perform certain tasks and function due to illness. Psycho social rehabilitation helps them overcome this limitation as tabulated below.
CHALLENGES/LIMITATIONS DUE TO MENTAL ILLNESS/PROBLEM
- Impairment: Loss of normal function or abnormality of mental or physical function.
Eg: Hallucinations, Delusions, Depression, Anxiety
- Dysfunction: Restriction for or lack of environment for overcoming dysfunction.
Eg: Inability to work, Taking care of self, Problems for simple activities like bath, brushing
- Disability: Restriction or lack of ability to perform a role.
Eg: unemployment, under/discontinued education, Homelessness
- Disadvantage: Lack of opportunity for an individual that prevents him fulfilling the role of normal person.
Eg: Discrimination , Stigma
CHALLENGES/LIMITATIONS DUE TO MENTAL ILLNESS/PROBLEM
- Medication under supervised and structured environment
- • Structured activities in therapeutic environment
• Behavioural therapies to encourage acceptable behaviour and activity
• Social skill training.
• Supported employment
• Supported education
• Supported living
• Skill training
• Resource identification and mobilisation
• Family psycho education
• Measure to build self esteem and confidence
• Recovery oriented programs
• Community inter-phased residential care
