AH CHONG had been feeling rather awkward these past few weeks. Previously an early riser, he now finds it difficult to get off the bed at the sound of the alarm clock in the morning.
Lying awake in bed for hour after hour is becoming a newly acquired habit. Nothing seems to interest him anymore, not even his favourite game of golf and dish of nasi lemak. Sex, too, does not appeal to him anymore.
Work has been a complete disaster, as he cannot concentrate at all. He’s beginning to wonder if he has not made a mess of his life. Maybe it’s not worth living anymore.
Ahmad, on the other hand, is having a ball of a time when suddenly one day while driving his car, his heart started to pound. Breathing was difficult. Sweat began to pour out. He felt dizzy and fainted.
He was sure it was a heart attack. But tests at the clinic found no trace of heart ailment. Ahmad thought perhaps he simply had had a bad day, until two days later when he showed similar symptoms at work.
A third attack woke him up in the middle of the night, and a fourth occurred when he was playing with the children.
Muthu is a 25-year old sales executive. He used to be jovial, athletic and extremely popular with other young men his age. Recently, his mood changed.
He began to pace around the house at all hours of the night. He also started to talk to himself. He told his mother that the food she served him was poisoned.
He seldom talked to others, but when he did he went on and on without making any sense.
Then in the middle of a quiet evening when the family was watching television he suddenly ‘snapped’. He screamed at the top of his voice and threatened to kill his father.
What do these individuals have in common? Pretty obvious, isn’t it? They are suffering from mental diseases. Some people call it emotional illness.
The fictitious cases involving Ah Chong, Ahmad and Muthu actually describe probable manifestations of symptoms of depression, panic disorder and early stage of schizophrenia, respectively.
What are the causes of mental diseases? Who are at risk? What can we do about them? Can they be cured? These are some of the numerous frequently asked questions that beg serious consideration.
There are many causes of mental ailments. For example, depression is known to arise from biological, genetic, psychological or environmental factors or a combination of these.
Stroke, hormonal disturbances, birth control pills and sleeping pills can also play a part.
An early detection of these warning signs may go a long way in dealing with the problem. These include one feeling demoralised, anxious or panicky for no obvious reason.
Or you cannot stop worrying even though others tell you that things are not that bad. Or others start telling you that you do not seem your usual self. Or you have thoughts of suicide.
Or you have to take drugs or drink to ‘calm your nerves’ or help you sleep. Or you are acting in a bizarre and frightening manner. If you begin to experience any of these, it is time to seek professional help.
The doctor will be able to tell you if the symptoms are due to psychological or physical disorder as some of these can be seen in overactive thyroid glands, low blood sugar level, high blood pressure or other medical conditions.
Only if it appears that psychiatric or psychological intervention is needed, the doctor will make the appropriate referral.
We are rather fortunate that in this age of modern science, there is a reasonably good selection of drugs available to treat or alleviate mental diseases.
For instance, it is now known that a number of these ailments are caused by alterations in the chemical content of the brain. Drugs that can help restore the imbalance have been shown to be highly effective in curing certain types of mental disease.
Depression is an excellent example of a mental disease that responds satisfactorily to drug therapy. However, the length of treatment may vary from short, to intermediate to long-term therapy.
Hence patience, perseverance and family support that ensure strict compliance with medication add tremendously to the success of this effort.
The other currently available method of treatment of mental diseases is psychotherapy. Although sometimes considered a bit controversial, there is however ample evidence that it is useful and efficacious.
With regard to this there is a story of how Ibn Sina, one of the remarkable physicians in the history of medicine, treated a patient who was a young prince struck with a kind of mental derangement. The prince had refused to eat and had the impression that he was a cow.
Therefore he insisted that he should be slaughtered and his meat distributed among the poor to be eaten like beef.
When all other forms of treatment proved unsuccessful, Ibn Sina was asked to take over the case. The wise physician sent out words that he would visit the patient on a certain day.
Ibn Sina also directed that it be made known to the sick prince that the purpose of this trip was for the physician to slaughter the patient. Thus, a sharp knife should be made
available.
Upon his arrival, Ibn Sina ordered that the prince’s hands and feet be tied up like a cow prepared to be slaughtered. He then took the knife in his right hand and with the left hand felt the body of the patient in various places.
He then stood up and exclaimed, “This cow is too thin to be slaughtered. Its flesh will be too unhealthy to be eaten. You must make it fatter and only then can I slaughter it.”
The young prince duly subscribed to the ‘butcher’s’ order, and when he put on enough weight, his mental ailment was cured!
Some of the more common types of psychological treatment are psychotherapy conducted with individuals or groups, family therapy, behaviour modification and relaxation training.
For Muslim patients both drug and psychotherapy should be supplemented by spiritual therapy. This is in view of the fact that the mind is perhaps the nexus between body and soul.
It therefore can be nurtured and sustained by positive input from both sides. One way to do it on the spiritual side is by constantly reading the Quran. Although there is no empirical evidence of the Quran being a cure for mental diseases, however scriptural verification of this does exist.