Managing Symptoms: The Role of Counseling in Psychiatric Treatment - Psychiatry

Dr. Wu Enliang reply Psychiatry

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When medication is stabilized, the remaining efforts vary from person to person.
For patients with relatively good functioning, maintaining a consistent daily routine can be beneficial.
However, for some patients, mental illnesses may lead to a decline in social functioning.
Therefore, in addition to pharmacotherapy, rehabilitation therapy is necessary to help patients recover more effectively.
The role of rehabilitation in mental health allows patients with mental illnesses to: *Achieve a sense of accomplishment through work, reduce feelings of inferiority, and build self-confidence.* *Train work skills and develop resilience.* *Cultivate skills necessary for independent living.* *Develop social skills for interacting with family and friends.* *Enhance self-awareness.*
The components of rehabilitation therapy include:
1.
Occupational therapy such as clerical work, leather crafting, sewing, arts, gardening, etc., which increases endurance and attention through participation in activities, further improving work attitudes and habits, and building self-confidence and a sense of achievement from work.

2.
Group activity therapy:
* Home leisure groups—discussing leisure arrangements to enhance self-care abilities.

* Insight groups—using various insight activities to encourage self-disclosure, learn communication skills, understand oneself better, and improve interpersonal relationships.

* Social skills training—learning problem-solving and adaptation through role-playing, behavior modeling, and practical exercises.

* Job-seeking skills practice—understanding occupational interests and aptitudes, learning to cope with stress, and expressing self-affirmation to achieve job-seeking success.

3.
Recreational therapy such as group games, sports, dance, and singing, to release excess energy, improve physical fitness, increase activity levels, express emotions, and promote mental well-being.

4.
Vocational therapy aimed at patients with chronic conditions who have difficulties adapting to life and work, to prevent the decline of social functioning, cultivate work skills, and enhance their sense of achievement.

5.
Psychological therapy:
* Assisting individuals in adapting to life.

* Improving anxiety, fear, sleep issues, and enhancing leisure functions.

* For improvements in depression, work ability, social relationships, and compulsive behaviors, ongoing treatment is necessary.

Available community rehabilitation resources include:
1.
Community rehabilitation centers (including sheltered workshops): The main focus is on arranging training courses for social skills, self-care, work abilities, and attitudes.

2.
Rehabilitation homes: Primarily provide accommodation services for patients who have difficulty living with family.
Patients in rehabilitation homes can work during the day or participate in rehabilitation training courses offered by community rehabilitation centers.

3.
Home treatment: This service is aimed at patients with rapidly changing symptoms who may exhibit violent or inappropriate behaviors but are unwilling to seek medical care, providing home visits by healthcare professionals for management.

4.
Day hospitalization: For psychiatric patients whose conditions are stable and do not require full-time hospitalization but still struggle with work and adapting to social or family life, patients can come to the hospital during the day to participate in interpersonal activities and vocational rehabilitation, returning home to live with their families at night.

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Reply Date: 2015/09/06