His wife came to us after the husband had a stroke. She is very concerned as the patient has had an elder brother who committed suicide after being depressed for years.

She is worried that her husband will do the same as he is currently staying in a hospital doing physiotherapy, being emotionally unstable, agitated, and very bad-tempered. He keeps to himself most of the time, makes no social contact with others, and cannot tolerate the least of any physical discomfort (e.g. sore throat, skin itchiness).

The wife is very keen to bring patient to consult a psychiatrist, yet he is not ready for it at all. If he ever knew that he’s taking any of the psychiatric related medicine he will get so mad. So the wife has been putting medicine in his food and drink. What’s difficult is his poor physical condition, due to the stroke he needs to do a lot of physio, but the medicine is making him drowsy and sleepy. In addition he’s having high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholestrol, so whatever kind of medicine that may raise any of these he can’t take it, especially his blood sugar is always sky high.

The wife spends almost 24/7 by his side to look after him. One day their only 15-year-old son made a call to her, saying he missed her and was very anxious about sitting for PMR (exam), he wanted her to pray with him over the phone. The wife decided to discuss with patient, told him to let her to go home and see the son, the patient agreed. However, when the wife wasn’t around, patient went up to the 13th floor of the hospital and attempted to jump down.

When he is okay, he is okay (what kind of sentence is this?). When he’s having a slight of bodily discomfort, he wants to end his life. Nobody really knows what he’s thinking, not even his wife. But he’s very upset and irritated being hospitalized, not being able to earn money and function like normal. What’s worse is his only sister and her family, who lives just next to him but have never come to visit him at all. So the wife seems to be the only connection he has, and when the wife isn’t around, all kind of negative thinkings float in his mind…

“She no longer wants me” “She doesn’t want to care for a sick person” “I’m useless” “Nobody cares about me”

Having a strong supportive family connection is something very essential in the recovery of mental illness. Yet unfortunately he has a brother who left him due to depression, and a sister who lives next to him but built a wall in the middle of two houses.