A Humanistic Approach Towards Mental Illness

Hi Khamkwa!

Re: # 22
HD, I never said it was unique to `insanity` - it was just an example of what these people cope with (or try to). I know a few people who experience auditory hallucinations/disturbances as part of a stress response.

And I was not quoting anyone (to my knowledge) - it`s just similar to how one of my clients described it once.

Re: # 24
dear ahad...you are right mental illness is not a myth. it is a reality for people who suffer. i

believe education, proper health care and a compassionate and humanistic attitude can

decrease that suffering. thank you for your wise comments...sincerely sohail

Dear Dr.
Particularly in Pakistan the most part of the urban and rural society are mentally ill, the reason is not the poverty, Mental illness is no myth, as some have claimed. It is a disturbance in our sense of possession of a stable inner self that survives its personae.
Ahad

#22
Hallucination,Illusion & Delusion
Agree with you Hallucination is symptom and not disease itself...three classic symptoms of mental illness are hallucinating which is imagining things which does not exisist....Delusion is of Ideas that are irrational thaught,like thinking of one self as President of country And Illusion which is Mistaking a Rope or other Exisisting object as Snake in case of Rope.

Thaught
Feeling
And Action is distorted in Schizophrenia

abskii,
I think you might be mistaking `hallucination` for `insanity`. Hallucinations are reported by drug users, meditating yogis and even by people `madly in love` (pardon the pun). Hallucination may be part of the effects that insanity brings, but by itself is not unique to insanity.

>>Schizophrenia is like looking at life through a broken window - fragmented and distorted.
You`re just quoting someone, aren`t you :)
Or do you actually know what that means? - looking at life through a broken window

#20 I agree with you for bringing attention to very important apect of human maladies which is either denied or unrecognised because of ignorence.
In no way i am taking side or defending practices anywhere

Re: # 19
dear tolkinin....i agree with you that even in the enlightened west there are illinformed

social and religious organizations like church of scientology who misguide people and

create hurdles in people making wise choices about their lives and getting help to decrease

their sufferings....sincerely sohail

#16
There is ignorence or double mind about Psychiatry EVEN IN THE WEST.The most unknowledgeble TomCruise goes about preaching so called Scientology and denying about psychiatric illness.The National Alliance of Mental Illness advocate of psychiatric patients have done a lot here in USA no doubt ,it is even estimated that more than half of prison population are there because of lack of treatment of there bIpolar or juveile delinquency of Adolescent Psychiatry .But yes the problem is more pressing in India where medical conditions like Squint,Hunch back (Scoliosis )and any Medical illness is DEMONISED.

Re: # 9
dear tolkinin....i agree with you that many patients who go to family doctors with physical

symptoms have psychosomatic problems and their emotional problems and stress of life

are contributing to their high blood pressure....peptic ulcer....migraines...and many other

physical symptoms....the more family doctors are becoming aware they are offering

emotional support and consulting mental health professionals. such problems are also seen

in immigrant families who are trying to cope with the stress of cultural

integration...sincerely sohail

Re: # 13
dear HD....your letter is anspiring me to write another column about schizophrenia

and depression in the future....thanks for the inspiration....sincerely sohail

Re: # 15
dear nb....you are more than welcome to share my article with anyone who might benefit.

they can find more articles about mental health in englsih and urdu on my websites

www.drsohail.com
www.greenzoneliving.ca

thanks for appreciation....sincerely sohail

Dr Sohail, this is a good article; I might actually print it out to give to patients families at some time, if ok with you.Thanks.

#13 by HD on December 8, 2006 10:14pm PT:
{Yet, how can we be empathetic when we don`t know (or are scared to know) the madman`s inner feelings??? }

Read up on the effects of the disorder, and imagine trying to live your life through that - like wearing somone else`s shoes. I did hear of an awareness course that, whilst the group was being taught about the subject, a person whom they had been instructed to ignore was creeping about and whispering in their ears, spraying perfume or peeling an orange, or tapping on their shoulders. If they reacted to the stimulation they were pointed out to the group. Try to imagine that, and try again in public.

Schizophrenia is like looking at life through a broken window - fragmented and distorted. (Hence why the majority of schizophrenics are withdrawn and insular, rather than homicidal).

Do mad people evoke `pity` or do they evoke `empathy` in us?

Pity is condescending, an ugly thing in disguise.
Empathy has been defined as `appreciation of the other`s inner feelings`.

We hope DrSohail`s humane-treatment motivation is empathetic in origin :)

Yet, how can we be empathetic when we don`t know (or are scared to know) the madman`s inner feelings???

Perhaps in this forum DrSohail can draw on his experience and tell us about the `inner
feelings` of his patients.

What is it that classifies a person as insane? His thoughts?

Re: # 10 by ranjit on December 8, 2006 6:53pm PT

{Hey doc, you dont need to go to Pakistan to treat mentally ill people. You have the perfect patient waiting for your help right here in the US - Mr. Behram Atashband, aka Retardo aka Austin waley Bawaji. He badly needs your expert attention as soon as possible. I have never met a bigger cuckoo than him. }

Actually, you yourself are the biggest fucked up Hindoo bharwa on this chowk.

{Of course, there is also the possibility that after trying to treat him you may go insane yourself. }

Just worry about your bipolar and autist hindoos who have infested this chowk.

You are just a myopic, delusional hindoo bharwa, that all