Q: My uncle was admitted to a mental health centre to help him deal with his depression. Before he was admitted, he was living alone in his house on the farm. He was not properly looking after himself, the house was a mess and he was not getting out to work his fields or tend to his animals. The mental health centre has been able to successfully adjust my uncle’s medication and what a difference that has made. He is like a new man.
As excited as we are that my uncle is coming home soon, we are also a little apprehensive. We do not want to say or do the wrong thing that might cause him to be readmitted. Do you have any guidance for us?
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A: I am not sure that you should treat your uncle any differently than you would someone else who is coming home from hospital. Depression, which is a psychiatric disorder, or which is commonly called a mental illness, can be as successfully treated as a gall bladder or ruptured appendix can.
Just as you would treat someone coming home after major surgery with some tenderness, so might you extend your compassion to your uncle. Even though his medication is likely putting the bright side into his disposition, the depression may have shaken his self-confidence. He may need encouragement.
A number of people discharged from mental health centres, or who are at home under psychiatric care, tell us that the stigma of mental illness is strong.
Some of those who have been the most vociferous about the mental health stigma are those who are being discharged to small and rural communities.
Once they are home, they find neighbours avoiding them, people discrediting them and others ridiculing them.
The stigma is a burden no one person should have to bear by himself. If your community is in any way challenging your uncle, make sure that he knows that you are on his side and be prepared to help your neighbours understand that mental illness should not be feared or exploited.
People who have been as depressed as your uncle have been known to relapse. Talk to him and learn as much as can about the warning signs that the depression is returning so that you can be there and encourage him to return to the mental health clinic.
Do not let his isolation fool you. You can respect his privacy while letting him know not only that you love and care for him, but that his love for you is equally important.
