Forum: Can therapy be part of treatment for schizophrenia?
I refer to The Straits Times' recent articles on mental health. One looked at how an executive turned to therapy to manage her anxiety (Singapore GPs step up to support those with mental health problems, May 26) , while another looked at how therapy helped a man overcome his agoraphobia without hospital treatment (Community care: How one man managed his agoraphobia without hospital treatment, May 26). I read those articles with hope, but also scepticism.
My scepticism comes from doctors rejecting therapy as an option for my schizophrenic brother despite numerous requests. His doctors remain adamant that antipsychotic medication is enough.
When I asked if any schizophrenic patients have been referred for therapy, my brother's case manager said that it is rare, and that relying almost solely on medication to treat schizophrenia is the norm at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
When my brother is taking his medication and not exhibiting schizophrenic symptoms, he shows extreme anxiety, has low self-esteem, and fears leaving his house as he thinks the voices he hears when he relapses will command him to not go home.
I believe he suffers from these additional anxiety-ridden symptoms because he experiences significant trauma before and after each schizophrenic relapse, which usually goes unaddressed.
When my brother relapses, his psychosis can drive him to commit offences. This results in the police holding him until he can be moved to IMH to receive treatment. He has had to accept that employers may not hire him because of his illness.
I agree with my brother's doctors that medication should remain a vital and primary part of my brother's treatment. But I also think schizophrenic persons could benefit from psychotherapy, and the kinds of coping strategies taught in those sessions.
It was reported in the ST articles that therapy helped to improve patients' mental health. So why not for schizophrenic persons?
Fawziah Selamat
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