Punah Santulan

Hi,

I am Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Psychiatrist. Today we will talk about a very common problem which is usually neglected. In another communication, we have mentioned the common habits like behavioral issues which are just passed as habits. So, those are the things which are very common. It is understandable to ignore them for a long time. But I am surprised as very serious issues which are life-threatening are usually ignored by the ignorant family member. But I am talking about the family member expressing any death wish or planning to do any self-harm. So, such kind of things is very commonly neglected. It is fine for the mistake which has been done by somebody in the house. But the scientific studies say that before any person commits the suicide there are at least 1-2 attempts on deliberate self-harm.

In a very rare case, somebody who commits suicide has attempted for the first time. It is very rare for somebody who commits suicide has not expressed the death wishes to somebody in the family or in the friend circle. Ignoring suicidal thoughts is as dangerous as ignoring chest pain. So, whenever somebody has chest pain in the family, we ensure to get the person investigated thoroughly. So, always get the diagnosis done from the doctor So, the chest pain is ignored because of acidity, muscular pain but it has to be investigated by an expert. Because ignoring the problem can be a fatal mistake. So, if anyone has a death wish, by talking to an expert can come to a diagnosis that what kind of psychiatric issue can be there. At times, there is a high risk of getting suicidal thoughts and a person can do anything. There are proper tools which can make the assessment possible. So, always remember if someone in your family expresses such kind of wishes or they indulge in any harm then he or she should be encouraged to meet a psychiatrist so that a proper evaluation can be made. An action plan can be chopped out.

Now many of us believe that will it make the person more stigmatized if he or she has told that you made an attempt so you should meet a psychiatrist. It doesn't increase the stigma on the person because like any other health issue, the disease or the intensity of the symptom should be taken diligently and an expert should be walk-in to see whether the symptom can be ignored or it is a sign of the disease then the treatment should be initiated. I will very strongly be encouraged any of the loved ones in the family and the friend circle indulges in any behavior like this, it should be taken more seriously and the person should be encouraged to go to a psychiatrist for evaluation so that the intensity of the issue can be judged scientifically.

Thank You!

Hi All, 

I am Dr. Ashwani Kumar. I am a psychiatrist and today we'll talk about some of the common mistakes that many families make in identifying the disorders which they think is just a habit but actually, they are identifiable diagnosable disorders. It's very common in our culture to think that if somebody is asking the same question again and again; if somebody is checking the amount of money again and again or somebody is washing hands repeatedly so this is probably the habit of cleanliness, maintaining orderliness. But, in spite of this habit leading to a lot of distress to the person who is doing it or even to the people around him or her. For a long time, this is taken to be just a habit and it keeps on increasing in many cases, not in every case but in many cases, it keeps on increasing and family keeps on ignoring it thinking that it's a habit and habits don't change.

Similarly, we see so many situations where somebody in the family is too much afraid of using the lift, using the elevator or living in a closed place like if somebody has to go to the washroom they would like to keep the door open, somebody is traveling in the car wants to keep the window pane lower all the time and even sometimes avoiding traveling in the air conditioned coaches or even traveling by air. So it is also taken to be a habit for a long time but actually, these are the diagnosable disorders where scientific intervention can make a difference. Another thing which is very commonly missed is somebody getting excessively worried, somebody is getting late in the family, all others are not so much affected but one particular person keeps asking about this person, why he or she is late, something bad may happen, keep checking about it and this is conveyed to all the family members and at times it also leads to a lot of distress in this person and also a lot of inconvenience to the other family members.

But it is again taken to be a habit and ignored that habits don't change. So my suggestion is that something which is just taken to be a habit but we know that it is causing distress, we know that it is leading to some degree of impact on other family members, it should not be just dismissed as a habit. If a proper evaluation is carried out many times this condition can be a symptom of some of the anxiety disorders. So, it's in our interest that in such situation if a family member is having any behavior like this it's in our interest to get this family member evaluated by a team of mental health professionals. If there is a diagnosable disorder the professionals will tell the family members that yes it is a diagnosable disorder and that this particular family member can be helped in behaving in a more composed and calm way rather than indulging in this kind of anxiety.

Thank you.