AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...

Case study I
Kavi is a 25 year old man who has had a severe mental illness for many years, he is known to
abuse alcohol but generally takes his medication regularly. Kavi arrives at a community function
looking untidy, unshaven and appears preoccupied. Suddenly he jumps up and shouts ‘stop
it you bastards I’m not going to let you do that’ he picks up a chair and throws it at a group of
people standing close to him.
Case study J
Six months ago the doctor started Ramesh on some medication for his odd behaviour, he has
now stopped talking to himself and is less frightened and agitated. However, he complains of
feeling tired all the time, he sleeps for long periods of the day and does not take good care of
his appearance and hygiene. When his father returns from work one day Ramesh is still in bed
at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The father is very angry because his wife did not get the boy up
to do some chores around the home. Ramesh’s mother argues that she did not wish to disturb
the boy because “he is ill and he needs his sleep”. Once Ramesh is out of bed his father decides
that he should have a talk to him about how he would like him to change his behaviour and
start taking more responsibility for his own life and help out more in the home.
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