In the Medical Lexicon the words “mad” and “madness “ are sparingly used. Madness, insanity and craziness are terms that describe a spectrum of individual and group behavior that are characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. In Medical Practice we usually refer to them as mental illness.
The woman that sent me the text above lives in Lagos. Her plight was that the locals and in laws were taunting her, that madness runs in their their family. She swore by all beings holy, beginning from God that her maternal and paternal parents, grand parents and great grand parents had no trace of madness in their families.
She was now desperate to know what would have caused the son’s mental illness. I told the woman, that a movement in recent decades to bring mental-ill- patients out of institutions has been made possible by the development of effective anti-psychotic drugs. With the de-institutionalization movement greater emphasis has been placed on viewing mentally ill people as members of families and communities.
Why am I emphasizing this? This is because the woman asked me to refer her to a good mental Institution, to take her son to. I referred her to a reputable Psychiatrist, but advised that the son should not be confined to an institution, for that might exacerbate his condition.
Do you know that every one of us has an atom of mental ill health. The latest research on mental illness of Nigeria showed that almost 35% of Nigerians has one form of mental illness or the other. Explosion of mental condition is only kept in check by providence and happenstance. Research has also demonstrated that certain interactions between families and patients can improve or worsen mental illness. Therefore, family therapy techniques have been developed that dramatically prevent the chronically mentally ill from needing to be re-institutionalized. Today, the family of a mentally ill patient is more involved than ever as an ally in treatment.
The family doctor also plays an important role in rehabilitating a patient into the community. In addition, mentally ill people, who must be hospitalized are less likely to be isolated and restrained, than in the past, and they are often discharged early into partial hospital program and day treatment centers.
So, if you notice any strange behavior, of your children or siblings do not join the crowd in saying the person has run mad. Consult your family doctor for advice. Always be medically guided.
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