‘’Tom’’ is eventually accepted and supported by his family
April 26, 2021
Accepting and supporting people with severe mental illness and substance use disorder is a major challenge among families and local communities in Uganda.
Most families perceive that people living with alcohol and substance use disorders choose to maintain their behavior. This is often due to limited knowledge of substance use disorders and treatments and makes it challenging for them to support their family members.
This was evident in the family of the 40 years old Tom who was diagnosed with a substance use disorder following his admission to Butabika mental hospital. At the time of his discharge the ward manager found it difficult to reach his family since there were no phone contacts left in Tom’s hospital file. Tom was therefore referred to the YouBelong team for resettlement. We traced down his family and was able to meet with his uncle and aunt who seemed disappointed that they were found. With further discussion with Tom’s uncle and aunt, the team found that the family thought that admitting Tom to the hospital, hopefully for the longest time possible was all there was for them to do. The team had a discussion with them in their village home explaining Tom’s diagnosis (substance use disorder with psychotic features) and the nature of this illness in an effort to build acceptance of Tom and his need for family support in this recovery.
The team highlighted the need for mutual support among family members, regular reviews of the soon to discharge person and family’s involvement in the care of their family member. The team encouraged them to accept support from the YouBelong team to understand Tom’s support needs and also receive him back home for continued care. After this engagement, the family accepted Tom back home and welcomed the YouBelong support interventions to help them learn about mental illness and substance use. This brought a huge difference in the family’s perception about mental illness in general and substance use disorders in particular.