Finally, Dr Noel Chia Kok
Hwee helped me to be clearer about my depression and my learning process.
In a letter to Forum Page of
7 June 2013, Dr Chia wrote :
“Caring for a special needs
child is a 24/7 job “Mother seen with son before he fell” Monday. It is stressful for many parents, and even
more so, for a single parent, who has to jiggle working to earn enough to
support the family and providing care and love for the special-needs
child. This could lead to burnout,
commonly known as caregiver stress syndrome.
Signs and symptoms include
frequent fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, headaches, memory loss,
hypertension, decreased immunity and a feeling of frustration.
From happiness to
helplessness to hopelessness, life can become meaningless or filled with a
sense of incoherence that in turn, can become so overwhelming that it can drive
the single parent to suffer depression and to harbour suicidal thoughts.
The pain and guilt
accompanying such a sense of incoherence can make one stronger or weaker.
Austrian psychiatrist Viktor
Emil Frankl termed this strength “tragic optimism”. This is optimism in the face of tragedy, with
the potential to turn painful suffering into an opportunity to better
oneself.
The opposite of tragic
optimism is “tragic pessimism”.
An excellent support system
is needed to transform such a senseless, incoherent life into one of coherence,
which, according to American medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky, gives
meaning to the life challenges faced by single parents with special-needs
children.
Perhaps family service
centres and special schools can offer such support services or raise awareness
about them, if they are already available, to those who need them most.
No comments:
Post a Comment