Tag

schizophrenia

Caregiving is a noble task

Unlike the many girls whom I dated, Doris Lau, my late wife was very down-to-earth. I found her to be sincere and caring. This was the woman who would change my life – dramatically. Doris passed away on 17th April 2014 after she was stricken with pneumonia. She died within a week that she was hospitalized in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. 

 

Undoubtedly, Good Friday has special significance to both my wife and I. Why? Because this is the most painful day of the year as we remember how Jesus suffered and was put to death for the sins of all of us.  Despite being tortured and humiliated, Jesus who displayed enormous strength was able to show compassion and forgiveness.  

 

When Doris first met Raymond: By some strange coincidence, 12th April 1974 was the day that I first met Doris. And it happened to be on Good Friday. And though it is an arduous and painful journey for me to manage my wife’s dreaded schizophrenia for 40 years, I often draw my strength and compassion from Jesus. And each time that I suffer from burnout, Jesus is always there to carry me on His shoulders. His pictures are in our home; and He is very much alive in our hearts. 

 

Doris has battled schizophrenia for forty-four years. The disease first struck Doris at the tender age of 17.  Many people find it very hard to believe that I married her despite her mental illness. In caring for Doris for four decades, I had grown to love her more and more each day. I have seen this illness ravage more than half her life and the journey, though very difficult, was so rewarding when I saw her enjoy and live life to the fullest.  

 

Seeing the ‘demons’ in her mind: During our 40 years marriage, my wife has been hospitalized in the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) ¬– Singapore’s biggest public psychiatric hospital twelve times during our 40 years’ marriage and I have witnessed all her delusions, hallucinations, depression and fears. Seeing Doris struggling with the “demons in her mind” has been extremely painful for me. 

 

My long hours at work in broadcasting saw Doris spending many days and nights all alone.  The loneliness and the isolation saw her missing out on her medications, resulting in relapses. 

 

When Doris was in a stable condition, she is a loving and kind-hearted person. But during her relapses, I become her emotional punching bag. I have taken all her emotional outbursts quietly, allowing her to scold, shout and nag at me because I fully understand how this illness torments her, how it frustrates her.

 

Over the years, I have learnt to forgive my wife as I fully understand that it is the illness, and not her.  Through my experience in caring for Doris, I have learnt to completely separate the two. Many people, including family members do not really understand the specialized care that the mentally ill need or the unremitting emotional wear and tear that caregivers have to endure every day of their lives. This illness is terrifying because it is unpredictable.  

 

The beauty from within: What struck me most about Doris was the beauty of her heart. She had also touched me with her sincerity. She taught me how to be prudent with spending, advising me not to waste money on taxis, but to travel by buses. Most certainly, she has always had my best interest at heart. This is one of the primary reasons why I took her to be my life-long partner even though I knew I would face huge obstacles during this part of my life.  

 

When the relapse comes on, the nightmare begins: Shortly afterwards my family members and I were shocked to witness the torment Doris went through when the relapse of schizophrenia reared its ugly head.  The enormous stress she went through during the run-up to our marriage took a heavy toll on my wife.  

 

Doris was eventually hospitalized at the old Woodbridge Hospital (now known as IMH) for about two weeks, and my daily visits helped a great deal in her recovery.  This is why I have always emphasized during my motivational talks or in the books I write that emotional support is vital in helping patients in their recovery. 

 

Caregiving – a noble task: I’ve always felt that caregiving is a noble task; and it must be promoted as such. Though it often takes the wind out of you, it will be such a joy when you see first-hand the smiles on their faces, their creativity and their happiness when they are in their full recovery stage. 

 

In managing a loved one with mental illness, practice the 3Ps – Patience, Perseverance and Prayer.  Not always the easiest task, but I assure you that if you can find the strength to do that – God will bless you in more ways than one as He has done for me and my wife. 

 

Today, I have authored 30 books and, in the process, I have gone on to become a motivational speaker, a songwriter, regular forum writer to the mainstream newspapers and even a TV actor.  I am also Singapore’s leading advocate for the mentally ill and volunteer my time with IMH, the Singapore Association for Mental Health and the Silver Ribbon Singapore. 

 

In producing my books, I also managed to “infect” my wife with the power of the pen. And before she died, Doris became an author of 8 successful books because she fully understood that writing is healing. 

 

Coping with the loss of my wife: It was a real struggle for me to come to terms with the sudden passing of my wife – more so when my whole world revolved around Doris. I went through situational depression for one solid year and experienced insomnia for the same troubling period. Two things helped me to come out of this difficult period: Counselling from a psychologist and the love from a Filipino girl whom I got engaged to in March this year.  

 

Many people have asked me why I willingly married Doris despite knowing of her mental illness. My answer to them is simple: “If schizophrenia and arthritis was part of the life of the woman I love, then it must surely have been part of mine too. I did not necessarily like what the illnesses did to her, but it is her that I love. And that had, and will always be, the guiding, motivating force of my life.

It still hurts me so deeply inside

Recently I went to visit a Chinese Medicine doctor to see if she could help me with conceiving. She came highly recommended by a friend who successfully and easily conceived with her advice. She appeared to be very knowledgeable and experienced when she spoke. 

My monthly period cycles have never been consistent since it first started, and I also revealed I had been diagnosed with schizophrenia at about the age of 24. But it was 10 years ago and I have been doing very well with medication, holding a full time job and doing well for all those 10 years.

The doctor frowned at me and struggled but in the end said that doctors like her usually advise people like me not to have children. Having children she says, is not that easy. There’s the risk of postpartum depression, not to mention all the stress from taking care of a child for so many, many years. Nevertheless, since I wanted, and since I look stable, she will give me some medicine and try to help.

What she said seemed truth but it still hurts me so deeply inside, I controlled myself till I got home, and then the torrents of tests came. Is it wrong to want children? After all, a marriage also is two people and not just me. I guess it’s time to hope beyond hope again.

It makes us feel like animals

Being diagnosed with a mental disorder is never easy to accept, but being stigmatized after your friends and colleagues get to know you’re “crazy” is even worse. It hurts everytime there’s an indirect remark, an accusation being thrown, comments like “karma” and “possessed”. It’s embarrassing to be a schizophrenic, it’s never fun being a maniac, and it feels horrible being depressed, but not everyone understands.

Stop the stigma, it makes us feel like animals, instead of humans. We want to be normal just like how you want us to be normal.

To those suffering, you are brave and resilient. Keep going, you will recover eventually. Look forward to that light at the end of the tunnel.

New lease of life

As I lay in bed today, I can’t thank God enough for giving me the strength and the will to pull through what I thought I couldn’t. First and foremost, this is not a pity post. I could use some pity, but I don’t want it. This is me trying to reach out for those in plight. To help those who are alone when the world goes to sleep.

Having gone through a bout of depression, it has certainly brought me to the edge. Literally. I can remember vividly being on the 16th floor, looking down and thinking to myself how fast my problems would end.

I remember the texts I sent to my mum. I remember my aunt calling me trying to console me out of it as I sat on the stairwell crying and confused. At that point of time, I talked to God. He made it clear that taking my own life would only open the doors to more plight. And so I sought help. It was the best decision I have made in my entire life.

Here I stand today, with a new lease of life. I lost beloved friends and family members along the way but hey, that’s another story for another day. How I approached to saving me from myself might not have been the best way, but you can do it better. Talk to someone; A friend. A relative. A stranger. You never know if he/she could be the person to save you from you. Seek help. We may not know one another, but I treasure you.

I feel so helpless

My girlfriend is having a relapse. She has paranoid schizophrenia. Being gay, our asian parents do not recognize the fact that we are together. It’s really tough especially when they think that I am the cause of her stress.

She is constantly looking for me and I am constantly being refrained from seeing her. Now I feel like I am the one breaking down.

Her family is in denial of her illness and doesn’t understand that she needs someone to listen to her.
I know she needs me but our communication keeps getting cut off. I feel so helpless.

I thicken my skin to be able to see her, despite hurtful remarks from her mother. She is my world.
We have been through this once before and we came out stronger but this time round, I’m not so sure.