Managing ‘Schizophrenia in the Midst of Schizophrenia’- The Role of Assertive Community Treatment
Managing ‘Schizophrenia in the Midst of Schizophrenia’
Abstract
This case report emphasizes the role of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in managing a family with four members suffering from mental illness, mainly schizophrenia. We report a case of middle-aged lady who was diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) living with two other family members with the same illness and their carer who developed major depression from shouldering the burden of caring for mentally ill family members. ACT, through its holistic approach, proved to have reduced hospitalizations and improve symptom control and quality of life in this family.
Keywords :
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT),
Community Mental Health team (CMHT),
Family,
schizophrenia,
Abstrak
Laporan ini mengetengahkan peranan Perawatan komuniti asertif (ACT) dalam merawat sebuah keluarga yang kebanyakan ahlinya menghidap penyakit mental; skizofrenia. Kami melaporkan satu kes iaitu seorang wanita dalam usia pertengahan yang menghidapi penyakit skizofrenia resistan pada rawatan (TRS) yang tinggal bersama dua lagi ahli keluarganya yang menghidapi penyakit yang sama. Mereka dijaga oleh seorang penjaga yang menghidapi kemurungan major yang terkesan dari bebanan menanggung ahli keluarga yang sakit mental. ACT melalui pendekatannya yang holistik, terbukti dapat membantu mengurangkan risiko kemasukan ke hospital serta dapat membantu dalam penambahbaikan kawalan penyakit dan kualiti hidup keluarga ini.
Kata Kunci :
Keluarga,
kumpulan komuniti kesihatan mental (CMHT),
perawatan komuniti asertif (ACT),
skizofrenia,
Correspondance Address
Prof. Dr. Marhani Midin, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +603-91457428 Fax: +6-03-91456681 Email:marhanimidin@yahoo.com.
