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Working hand-in-hand with traditional beliefs and faith healing; Dr. Alvin Ng- 21-Oct-2017
Story 3: Working hand-in-hand with traditional beliefs and faith healing
A 6-year-old girl who was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism by a psychiatrist was refereed to me for help in devising a programme for her family to run in reducing her symptoms.
When I received her in my clinic then, I was told by her father that he did not believe the psychiatrists diagnosis. He strongly believed that his daughter was not autistic, but have been possessed by an evil spirit.
He had seen a couple of faith healers and had settled with one whom he likes.
I convinced him that I knew behavioural methods that could be used to teach her simple vocabulary, as well as basic functional communication that she can follow instructions and communicate her wants despite being possessed.
However, I maintained that I would not be able to deal with the supernatural.
So while I checked on how the faith healers methods and rituals were helping the family, I provided training to the girls parents on basic behavioural modification techniques for teaching her basic adaptive behaviour skills at her level of understanding.
I got in touch with the faith healer to explain my methods and see if I could collaborate with him on helping the girl improve in her adaptive skills without disturbing his approaches.
Slowly, I was able to help the family manage the girls frequent tantrums by teaching her functional skills that were inculcated in the faith healers rituals.
For example, I would teach the faith healer and the girls parents to provide positive reinforcements when she was responding appropriately to her name being called or when she demonstrated proper responses when instructed.
As therapy went on, the girls parents gradually believed that the faith healers powers were very strong in that she improved in her vocabulary comprehension and was better behaved.
They attributed their daughters improvements to the faith healer instead because they saw the reduction of symptoms as the successful management of the curse.
Nevertheless, given the typical diagnosis of moderate to severe autism, the girl never came out of the possession.
Eventually, the faith healer said that the spirit had left the girls body but also left her with symptoms of autism in that she was forever affected in a way that resembled autism. This obviously distressed her parents but they continued with behaviour therapy as they saw that it was helping slowly improving her adaptive behaviours although not quick enough for her to enter formal education by age of 7.
I never got to see through the girls treatment, due to her family ceasing treatment citing that they were happy enough with the little improvements she made.
However, I felt it was a good example of working the system around an individual who has a disorder to improve their well-being, while compounded by traditional beliefs.
Conclusion
Formation and maintenance of a good relationship is an important factor for mental health.
Relationships that are good reduce the likelihood of tension between individuals as well as increases trust and security between them.
Good quality of life comes from comfort, security, empowerment and trust.
Any relationship that can facilitate good quality of life helps significantly in improving mental well-being and reduces any symptoms of mental disorders.
It is important to recognise healthy relationships as both preventive and responsive measures for mental illness.
