| Alma |
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Alma* doesn’t come to see me very often; and that’s just fine with me. You see, Alma is in Recovery from mental illness and I am her psychiatrist. Now that she’s reached Recovery, she doesn’t need me much. And that’s the whole idea. When Alma began treatment, her life was out of control. She constantly heard voices attacking her every move, telling her she was worthless and that no one liked her. She discovered that crack cocaine quieted the voices, so she began using whenever she could. Soon her adult children stopped speaking to her and wouldn’t allow her to see her grandchildren. Alma plummeted into depression and hopelessness. The only out was the cocaine, but it was gaining more and more control over her life. When Alma first came to me for help, we talked about her goals: her priority was to salvage her relationship with her live-in boyfriend before she became homeless. We talked about how she could do that, and she admitted she couldn’t bear to face the voices and depression without cocaine. So we discussed medication. She was wary, but eager to make a change. For the first time in years, Alma had hope. She began to take charge of her life, started coming to treatment regularly, and became an active and dedicated member of our therapy group. It took time, effort and honesty, but Alma slowly became empowered to take care of herself. She began to ask tough questions of me, “Do I need to take this medication? Why? How long?” She moved from a passive follower of instructions to an active participant in her care; and that’s when she stopped coming to her appointments. I was concerned, but when we talked, I realized that Alma doesn’t need our appointments as much. Her illness is no longer the focus of her life; it is a part of her life that she has learned how to manage. Our discussions these days are about maintaining all she has achieved, and she is teaching me much more than I have ever taught her. She has learned to recognize when “things don’t feel right,” and can stand up for herself with family, friends and coworkers. Alma is now working full time in a grocery store and babysitting her grandchildren on a regular basis. * name changed to protect privacy |
