AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...
AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...
AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...
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Activity 21 : Visiting the affected person at home<br />
Time : 30 minutes<br />
Purpose : To help participants understand the benefit of visiting a person with a<br />
mental disorder at home, and to provide tips <strong>for</strong> engaging with the affected<br />
person and his/her family.<br />
Materials : Black/white board, marker pens.<br />
Directions : Step 1<br />
Ask the participants what they think are the benefits of visiting a person with a<br />
mental disorder at home. Discuss the answers and record them on the black/<br />
white board. Add the in<strong>for</strong>mation below to the participants’ suggestions.<br />
INFORMATION FOR PRESENTATION<br />
Benefits of making home visits<br />
• To talk with the person in a place where he/she feels safe and com<strong>for</strong>table.<br />
• To observe how effectively the person is able to do normal activities and jobs.<br />
• To help the person change his/her environment or behaviour to manage symptoms:<br />
• if the person has sleep problems you may see that the room is very bright and<br />
suggest making it darker<br />
• if the person is afraid to leave the house you may work with the person to confront<br />
the fear so he/she is eventually able to go outside.<br />
• To talk to the family members about the symptoms and behaviours of the affected person.<br />
• To observe how the family engages with the person, and offer advice about how the<br />
family can support the affected person.<br />
• To engage with the family and help them manage their own stress, and provide them<br />
with in<strong>for</strong>mation about mental disorders.<br />
• To monitor the progress of the affected person:<br />
• Are the symptoms improving?<br />
• Is he/she taking the medication?<br />
• Is he/she experiencing any side effects of medication?<br />
<strong>AN</strong> <strong>INTRODUCTION</strong> <strong>TO</strong> <strong>MENTAL</strong> <strong>HEALTH</strong> 83