Treating person affected by delusions

With steady and patient and non-retaliatory handling, and with acceptance of the deluded person, it is often possible to carry on, and sometimes the delusions seem to become less intense over the years, although with periods of greater pressure at times. But it always demands great restraint and devotion, and a firmness that carries on one’s own life calmly in spite of the attempts to upset it. Marriage counselors can sometimes help the partner greatly in this.

It seems clear then that when any form of physical or mental illness becomes a threat to the preservation of a good marital relationship the counselor’s task is in two directions. It is first to recognize that an illness exists by having some idea of the main indications of illness, and of the various kinds of illness, so that he may recommend appropriate medical help. His second task is to help the sufferer if possible, and even more the partner, to live with the situation if he is willing to do so.

It is certainly not necessary for the counselor who is not a medical practitioner to recognize the exact nature of any illness, nor can he set out to treat any illness. Diagnosis and treatment lie within the field of medicine and it is important for marriage counselors to have close contact with medical consultants of the appropriate kinds, family doctors, physicians, psychiatrists, gynecologists and pediatricians.

Conversely marriage counselors can be of great help to doctors because many of the disturbed people who go to doctors for help are found to be suffering from strains and conflicts in marriage which have a material effect on their illness and on the efficacy of any medical treatment. Many people who come to marriage counselors are actually referred to them by doctors.

In the matter of referral to psychiatrists it is wise for a marriage counselor who believes a client needs psychiatric help to refer him first to the client’s own family doctor if he has one, and to suggest a list of family doctors from which he can choose if he has no regular doctor. It is then quite appropriate for the family doctor to make a suitable referral. This practice has two important advantages. It is less upsetting to the client to be told that the counselor believes him to be in need of “medical” help than “psychiatric” help. A suggestion that he needs psychiatric help will not always be well accepted from a “layman,” and may be regarded as an “accusation” that he is “mental.” He will take such referral much better from a medical man. Second, it is often valuable for the psychiatrist to have a family doctor cooperating with him, and possibly available to tide over an emergency when the psychiatrist may not be available. This is best secured by the referral being carried out by the family doctor.

Tags: Counseling