Why Diversity Inclusion does not include Mental Illness?

It was an absolute delight to see corporate embracing the LGBT community with wide options of acceptance.  Accepting the differences in the natural ways each one of us are made is the best regard we can pay to be having born as human beings.   

  Couple of most encouraging moves of the recent times:

1.  Coverage of health insurance and group insurance schemes of the same gender couple.   All these years, you can add your spouse and children, and in some cases parents in your health insurance policy coverage.  Very recently, corporates started to include same sex couples to add their same gender spouse/ life partner/ live-in partner into the health insurance fold which is a welcoming move.   
2.  Acceptance of same sex spouse/ partner to claim the benefits of the professional or employee, in event of unfortunate death, retirement or personal disability.  In this case, the employee can nominate his or her partner without feeling embarrassed or guilt and could choose the options of inheritance as per their choice. 

Even at the times, when we do not have a legalized system in place for the same sex marriages in India,  we are happy to be welcoming the inclusion of the LGBT community in its rightful share in the society.  

However, what annoys me and frustrates me with pain is the fact that we are yet to get the Mental Illness included in the medical insurance coverage.   Further, forget about the rightful inheritance of the mentally ill, the first and foremost reason for any kind of socially acceptance is itself not available to mentally ill.   

On the lighter note, probably, insurance companies and community will not be able to compensate as every one of us have some form or the other of mental illness.......:-) 

 

What we can do being part of Bipolar Support Group - Chennai, India?

It is a blessing to be associated with a group of like minded friends and families who will understand your situation and instead of showing sympathy, will in-fact share mutual respect and hope.    

Bipolar Support Group Chennai is such a great initiative and during its wonderful launch in the City recently, the families and friends who are all care-givers joined together in a hour long discussion which showcased various ways in which the support group can help themselves and each other.

25 Key Take-aways of the inaugural meeting of the Bipolar Support Group Chennai

1.   Engage in 'me' time.  All participants loved the idea of doing what you like, long forgotten hobbies or interests
2.  strengthen your belief in God and not to lose confidence in recovery
3.  Encourage spouses to trust in marriage and give a good try to make the marriage sustain and successful.
4.  Hope to avoid hatred and feelings to leave and run away from the situations
5.  Eat, sleep and exercise properly
6.  Rewind good old moments and recall all good work done in the past by the patients.
7.  To be responsible for emotional and psychological well being of the family.
8.  It is never possible to take full responsibility and to make every one in family to understand the support system
9. Explain the importance of medication by sharing experiences and suggestions
10.  Awareness discussion on the disease and to remove the stigma associated to mental illness
11.  Take help of doctors or para-medical staff to handle crisis intervention
12.  Plan and discuss to handle financial implications
13.  Take help to handle children, explain and educate them as needed
14.  Stop counter productivity 
15.  Be perseverant in the process of acceptance and focus on harmonious reslationships
16.  Take support when not able to match expectations
17.  Stop over care-giving , possessiveness and pampering that no one else can take care of the patient than you.  It is a myth
18.  Try to read and understand the information of the disease and understand the patient
19.  Build an under current attachment with acceptance and expressed emtions.
20.  Handle conflict information subtly and assimilation and stay informed
21.  Gain good insight of the disease and stop stigmatizing 
22.   Need to balance leaves and loss of job in the process of care-giving
23.  Maintain organizers to manage forgetfulness in handling multiple priorities
24.  Understanding of side effects of medication is very important and this will help to balance the patient's food, routine and sleep requirements.
25.  Practice meditation and yoga.  Keeping faith and confidence in life. 

 
 

Why do we need Mental Illness Support Groups?

Lot of times, we shy away from talking about mental illness or having a need to take care of a relative, family or friend who is suffering from any form of mental illness.  To avoid this situation and also to deal with the care-giving support with full dedication and love,  encouraged by similar souls around us is the best form of medical care we give to ourselves as care-givers.

Why do we need Support Groups-  especially this group?

• To share our experiences and feelings and understand that we have people who can think and help being in our shoes
• Emotional support when we need that pep-up in life as we deal with difficult situation of medical care
• Understanding the role of care giver with help of a doctor or a counsellor
• Provide behind the screen support and fall back on each other during crises
• Feeling that you are not alone and left behind and to improve care giving with mutual help
• Understand the various problems that come in the care-giving process

Frequent Problems faced by Care-givers

1.  Not having adequate care giver education
2.  Repeated disturbance to normal life cycle
3.  Distraction from routine and work 
4.  Influencing children living with the patient
5.  Feeling of slowness to pace with the patients aggressive behaviour and ambitions
6. Humilitation due to stigma of mental illness still existent in our society due to stigma of mental illness still existant in our society.
7. Difficulty to accept dear one's mental illness
8.  Mental fatigue and lack of concentration 
9.  Fear of leaving behind the patient when going to work or running errands
10. Some cases, care-giving will be a life time requirement
11.  Burden of finances as mental illness insurance is still a debate in India
12.  Requirement to keep a watch always on the patient
13. Genetic impact may cause similar symptoms in the children as well
14  Reactions of anger, frustration and not being able to control emotional reactions all the time
15.  Places and situations may demand certain reactions which are answerable to the society.
16.  Not able to differentiate from normalcy and and not able to talk as reactions are not predictable
17.  Not being able to defuse aggressive situations 
18.  Pressure of doing a balancing act, and not able to educate children on acceptance of the illness of a loved one at home
19.  Feelings of helplessness and thinking to leave and go away
20.  Suicidal thoughts as an escape from care-giver role
21.  Guilty thoughts when forced to leave the patient in a home or hospice 
22. Sleeplessness due to fear and panic having ripple effects on care-giving.

A strong support system will help the care-givers address all these issues with confidence,  hope and care.

 
 


 

Know about Bipolar Disorder- Major Contributors and Challenges

Today Bipolar Disorder or the Depression -  any illness related to mental health or well being is not rare in our society.  Atleast 1 out of 100 people suffer from bipolar,  and 1 in 10 suffer from some form of mental illness.   Be it from minute level to extreme difficult medical conditions

Major contributors for mental illness in General and Bipolar Disorder in particular

1.  Genetic reasons
2.  Increasing levels of stress
3.  Circumstances that cause depression
4.  Over activeness
5.  Aggresssive
6.   Economic or Financial anxiety with too much expenditure
7.  Addiction to alcohol/ smoking or drugs
8.  Insomnia or sleep disturbances
9.  Dejection
10.  Introvert not being understood by people arond
11.  Excess sleep

Challenges of handling mental illness or bipolar disorder

1.  Continuous medication
2.  No time limit for cure and needs regular follow ups
3.  Minimum time taken to bring back to normal state usually is longer as minimum of 6 months and above
4.  Need to focus on relapse and remission prevention
5.  Counselling necessary for care givers to handle long term treatment
6.  Necessity to handle anxiety, sleep disorders
7.  Several problems that include, situations not being able to predict normalcy,  no insight into the disease,  agitative patients,  with no understanding,  and the reactions are unpredictable
8.  Aggravated situations that need immediate medical help
9.  Failure to identify early signs and symptoms
10. Restlessness and argumentative behaviour of the patients
11.  Patients insistance that everything is normal and behave overconfident
12.  suffering from multiple patters of sleep disorders, eating and social habits
 
 


 

Inauguration and Launch of Bipolar Support Group Chennai on 31 January 2015

There could be no greater day in the lives of the care-givers who assembled today as part of the Inauguration and Launch event of Bipolar Support Group in Chennai.

31 January 2015 will remain in the history of care-givers as we have taken the small steps towards the concept by beginning this today.   With the auspicious beginning headed by Dr.R. Mani ( Psychiatrist) of Public Health Centre and VHS and also EC member of Indian Medical Association Kodambakkam Chapter.  Ms.Mala who works as the Project Director at VHS at the Alcoholic de-addiction centre in also joined to initiate the conversation around counselling and member participation.  

This was initiated in memory of Sunitha's father who passed away in Dec 2015.   His insistence and support to the cause, to make this happen finally materialized.

Dr. R. Mani

The group had people from all walks of life.  There were husbands care-givers to wives,  wife care-taking husband,  a daughter concerned about her mother,  a mother worried about her son whose marriage is on rocks, a daughter-in-law who struggles between prioritizing things,  parents concerned on how to create awareness on this to children about the parent who is a parent and so on.    What ever may be the difference, the single thread that binds all of them who joined in the inaugural event is to help themselves as care-givers.   

Inauguration of the group is the first of its kind in Chennai with eminent doctors and social workers joining their hands and minds into this cause. The inauguration meet happened on 31 Jan 2016, Sunday - 10.00 am at Sri Sasthalayam, 27/2, LIG Flats, Indira Colony,Ashok Nagar, Chennai - 83, Phone: 09884504340

All of us had take-away's from the day.   This is just a beginning.  BSGChennai is going to be a helping hand in dealing with bipolar disorder and other forms of mental illness.   

There are plenty of things to write on which I will do as time permits.

The next meeting is planned on a Sunday in April 2016 and we expect more participation with awareness and enthusiasm to rebuild our lives.