Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

It's rhythm of the mind

G. Ravikiran

`With proper care, psychiatric illness can be cured with permanent results'

VIJAYAWADA: Psychiatric illness of a person is more a problem of rhythm of the mind than a disease as such, says noted psychiatrist Indla Ramasubba Reddy. If the patient is taken care of properly, the illness can be cured with permanent results, he asserts.

Dr. Ramasubba Reddy, along with his psychiatrist-son Vishal Reddy, launched a campaign as part of the `World Schizophrenia Awareness Week' observed from May 20 to 26.

Dr. Ramasubba Reddy cautions people against becoming arrogant and consequently losing interest in work. "Happiness is a state of mind. If one chooses it, there will be no problem. If a person is unable to keep his or her mind in a healthy state, treatment will give good results. It is important to begin treatment at right time," he explains.

Symptoms

Dwelling at length on the symptoms, problems and societal consequences of schizophrenia, Dr. Vishal Reddy points out that one in every 100 persons in the country is affected by this disorder. It does not look unusual, but the problem will be as acute as it is in the case of heart and kidney ailments.

Dr. Vishal Reddy says that a victim of schizophrenia will have serious behavioural aberrations, but these may not have an immediate impact on his or her social relationships or personal performances. In an acute stage, the disease can make the patient experience delusions and hallucinations.

Delusions

"If a person hears unusual sounds that others are not able to hear, it indicates the onset of the problem. Recently, a patient, who is a software engineer, has shown acute symptoms. He sees FBI agents who are not visible to others around him. An unknown fear leads the patient to think and visualise like that," Dr. Vishal Reddy illustrates. Schizophrenia, he points out, sets in mostly in the age group of 15 to 25 years.

Dr. Vishal Reddy says that if anybody shows a sudden and total loss of interest in something, which he or she holds very dear for quite sometime, it is an early symptom of schizophrenia.

Family members should notice the problem and ensure that treatment is given in time.

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