Improving Mental Health – The 3-Way Focus
The Individual: Recovery is speeded up when the focus is on the patient and not on the method of treatment. In the treatment of people with psychological disorders, the processes keep changing as the treatment progresses. In the days gone by, the focus was on the processes to establish reliable treatment methods, but now that the processes have been standardized, to continue to do so rather than focus on the changes that the patient undergoes has to be given up. Unfortunately in the past, this does not seem to have been the case, as most medical people focused on the process of treatment to identify the effectiveness of each type, and to establish whether a particular therapy could be a panacea for all patients.
It is however a changed situation now and mental disorders are looked at from the patient’s point of view and not to establish technical perfection in the processes. Each patient comes with a unique set of symptoms of mental illness. This requires that each individual be given a treatment appropriate to his particular condition. These conditions could include where he comes from, what he likes, what he lacks and how strong or weak he is in certain situations.
The Community: A patient does not live in isolation so support from the others in his life is vital for his recovery. It is this strength that very often sees him through. If he joins a support group, it also opens his eyes to what others like him could be going through. Such support groups assist in the recovery by guiding and sharing as well as pointing out the way to go forward. This usually helps in the recovery process.
The Issues: What one also needs to do is to bring into the focus the issues involved. Firstly, there should be a direction agreed upon. At the initial stages of treatment, this direction should be drawn up in mutual consultation between the patient and the mental health professional. The patient would determine the pace at which the treatment should progress and the professional the direction in which it would proceed.
Then, it should be non-linear implementation. This principle proceeds on the basis that recovery is not a constant process and that there will be relapses and gains as the treatment progresses. It accepts that the process is one of trial and error and an objective in itself. There will be progress tempered by relapses and such developments should be accepted.
The treatment should be holistic and not be restricted to the psychological aspects of the illness exclusively but the physiological aspects also need to be taken into account. Recovery should be inclusive of both aspects and should look at the minor details as well as the large picture.
Finally, recovery should be built on a sound foundation of hope of total recovery. The necessary motivation and the willingness to overcome the disease must be built into the process of treatment. Amalgamating the three focus points listed above and giving the patient the appropriate motivation can achieve this.
