Monthly Archives: January 2015

Is psychotherapy for me?

Basic & General

Psychotherapy is for you if…

  • you have some insights to your problems and conditions; and even if you don’t, you’re willing to learn about them
  • you believe that psychotherapy can help you
  • you are willing to try hard to commit yourself to the therapy (e.g. completing the homework given between the sessions)
  • you can work co-cooperatively with the therapist
  • you don’t think psychotherapy or the therapist is magic
  • you can have realistic expectation of what psychotherapy can and cannot do (e.g. can understand that you may not recover completely but still, it will help you to develop some useful and practical skills so that you live a more meaningful life)
  • it doesn’t matter whether you’re seeing a psychiatrist or taking psychiatric medicine, but do take note that psychotherapy is not a substitute for psychiatric drugs, quite often they work well together; so do not stop the medicine unless advised by your attending doctor (quite often the psychiatrists have their rationale and expertise while prescribing those medicines to you, and it’s not down to any other doctor or therapist to comment).

 

Psychotherapy is NOT for you if…

  • you don’t think you have a problem, you’re here because your family/partner/parent/friend make you come.
  • you think the therapist will make you recover and there’s nothing much you need to do
  • you aren’t willing to put an effort to help yourself
  • you can’t work cooperatively with the therapist
  • you are in too great distress that you can’t think, can’t reason, can’t pull yourself to do anything
  • you don’t believe that psychotherapy can help you
  • you think psychotherapy can replace your psychiatric drugs completely (or from the very beginning)

In the news: Mum killed for asking son to take psychiatric medication

Issues & Debates, Schizophrenia & Psychotic Disorder

I heard this news on the radio this morning. It just somehow worried me wondering whether it was one of our patients, and I had this mother in my mind.

She used to consult doctor on behalf of her adult son and collect medicine for him. All the while she brings medicine to her son but according to her, the son doesn’t think he has any problems. The son isn’t very keen to take those many tablets and liquids, but she can always make him take them.

Recently she insisted to bring the son to come to see psychiatric doctor, despite the son saying he has no problems. She said he’s willing to come. But hey, if you think he has no problems, why would you come to see a psychiatrist? Are you being forced to come?

In our job we came to know a lot of family members who have to supervise the patient’s medicine. Though we never encourage forcing patients to take medicine. So this morning when I heard this news I was worried about some old parents who are very caring but also too anxious and sometimes stubborn being involved in this kind of tragedy.

We are not asking you to stop caring about your mentally ill family, but sometimes they’re no longer themselves when their mind is taken over by the psychiatric illness, you don’t know what they’re going to do, you can’t make usual expectations as if they are not sick. So please seek professional help! And no, you don’t have to take them with you, or force them to come with you!

TheSunDaily: Mum killed for asking son to take medication

What do you really want?

Basic & General, ,

Deep down inside, what do you really want?

Happy? Rich? Healthy? Successful? A perfect husband/wife? A great job?

It’s the first day of 2015. Usually people are setting goals around this period of time. New year, new resolutions!

But this year I’m going to ask for some changes, how about not setting goals, how about asking yourself, what do you really value in your life? What’s most important to your life?

So what are values?

  • Our heart’s deepest desires: how we want to be, what we want to stand for and how we want to relate to the world around us.
  • Leading principles that can guide us and motivate us as we move through life.
  • Values are not to be evaluated, but serve as the chosen standard by which other things can be evaluated.

Why values and not goals?

  • A value is a direction we desire to keep moving in; an ongoing process that never reaches an end
  • A goal is a desired outcome that can be achieved or completed. Once achieved, it can be crossed off the list.
  • So if you want to get married, that’s a goal; But if you want to be a caring and supportive person, those are values. Values such as these are way of acting within your control, rather than consequences that are in part, down to external factors or up to chance.
  • Connecting with our values gives us a sense that our hard work is worth the effort. Values provide a powerful antidote: a way to give your life purpose, meaning and passion. Unlike goals, you may one day achieve a goal you desperately working hard for all your life and feel so lost not knowing what to do next.
  • Once you have had your values set, you can then work out your goals based on your values.

So now, sit down with a pen and paper (or your tablet/smartphone), take some time to really think what you really want and value in your different aspects of your life, imagine when you’re 80 years old and reflecting back on your life…

You’ll realize that values are like compass of your life giving you sense of direction! 🙂