ODGJ or people with mental disorders often receive discrimination from society because they are considered to have deviant behavior. In fact, with proper handling, ODGJ will not disturb or endanger other people as is commonly thought.
ODGJ experience mental disorders that cause changes in their way of thinking, feeling, emotions, to their daily behavior. Symptoms experienced by ODGJ can also make it difficult for them to interact with other people.
However, there are also ODGJ who can live a normal life with regular medication or therapy. Unfortunately, there are still many ODGJ who have not received treatment, so that their illness is getting worse.
Lack of information and understanding about mental illness makes many people often treat ODGJ less well. Not a few ODGJs in Indonesia are still in shackles or locked up because they are considered to be a danger to themselves and others.
In fact, however, this is not the case. By undergoing the right treatment, ODGJ can have a good quality of life.
Some Disorders Often Experienced by ODGJ
There are many types of mental disorders or illnesses that ODGJ can experience, including:
1. Anxiety disorders
Everyone has experienced anxiety and worry due to certain reasons, for example when facing an exam or certain problem. Normally, this anxiety will disappear after the triggering factor is overcome. However, this is not the case in ODGJ with anxiety disorders.
People who experience anxiety disorders generally will continue to feel anxious and restless and find it difficult to control these feelings. The emergence of these feelings can be in the form of trivial things or even no trigger at all.
When experiencing anxiety disorders, ODGJ can also experience other symptoms, such as sweating a lot, chest palpitations, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and feeling that danger is coming or threatening.
The types of anxiety disorders that can be experienced by ODGJ are generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and phobias.
2. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
ODGJ with this disorder will have difficulty or even not be able to see things that are dirty and messy. They also often have feelings or thoughts that are difficult to contain about certain things.
For example, ODGJ with OCD will be afraid of getting sick, so they will wash their hands and clean their house many times.
In addition, because they are afraid of theft, they can also check again whether the house doors and windows have been locked tightly until repeatedly when they want to travel.
ODGJ with this disorder can experience symptoms that are severe enough to make it difficult to carry out activities or interact with other people.
3. Post-t raumatic s stress d isorder (PTSD)
PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that can be experienced after a person experiences or witnesses an unpleasant event, such as an accident, natural disaster, violence, or sexual harassment.
ODGJ with PTSD will often remember the events that made him traumatized. Sufferers of this condition will also often feel certain symptoms, such as difficulty sleeping, restlessness, feeling afraid and guilty, or panicking, when they see, hear, or even just think about the things that triggered the trauma.
4. Personality disorders
People with personality disorders generally have patterns of thought and behavior that are considered deviant, strange, or not in accordance with the rules and norms that apply in the surrounding environment. ODGJ with personality disorders will also generally have difficulty understanding emotions and interacting with other people.
There are many types of personality disorders that can be experienced by ODGJ, including antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.
5. Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is one type of disorder that can also occur in ODGJ. Mood changes in ODGJ with bipolar disorder are characterized by several phases, namely the mania phase and the depressive phase.
When experiencing a manic phase, people with bipolar disorder can feel very happy, very enthusiastic or high-spirited, talk or eat a lot, have trouble sleeping, and can't stay still. However, when entering the depressive phase, sufferers can experience symptoms of depression.
Each of these phases can last a matter of hours, weeks, or months. If they do not get treatment, ODGJ with bipolar disorder are at high risk of committing suicide and risky behaviors, such as using drugs and alcohol.
6. Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders suffered by ODGJ. According to WHO data, it is estimated that around 264 million people worldwide experience or at least have suffered from depression.
However, many people do not realize that they have symptoms of depression, so this condition can get worse.
ODGJ who are depressed often experience several symptoms, such as looking lethargic and not enthusiastic about life, difficulty sleeping or sleeping a lot, not wanting to eat or eating too much, sexual desire disorders, and feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness for no good reason. clear.
If it is severe, ODGJ who are depressed may intend or have tried to commit suicide. ODGJ caused by depression need to get treatment from a doctor so that their condition can improve.
7. Schizophrenia
ODGJ suffering from schizophrenia may experience symptoms of hallucinations, delusions or delusions, strange thought patterns, behavioral changes, and restlessness or anxiety.
When experiencing hallucinations, ODGJ with schizophrenia will feel like hearing, seeing, smelling, or touching something, even though the stimuli are not real.
Without treatment, ODGJ who have schizophrenia often find it difficult to interact with others or even be shackled because their behavior is considered dangerous to themselves or others. However, with proper treatment, ODGJ with schizophrenia can live a normal and productive life.
Handling Steps for ODGJ
ODGJ or people who have symptoms of certain mental disorders need to get examination and treatment from a psychiatrist. To diagnose the type of mental disorder experienced by ODGJ, the doctor can perform a psychiatric examination.
After being diagnosed with a certain mental disorder, ODGJ can get treatment so that the symptoms they feel can improve. The following are some steps a psychiatrist can take to treat ODGJ:
Administration of drugs
The drugs given to ODGJ depend on the type of mental disorder they experience. To treat ODGJ who have mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder, doctors may prescribe antidepressants and mood stabilizers (mood stabilizer).
Meanwhile, to treat anxiety disorders in ODGJ, doctors can give sedatives or anxiety relievers. Some of these drugs are given for a certain period of time, but some need to be given for life.
Therefore, it is not recommended for ODGJs to stop treatment without a doctor's monitoring because it can cause a recurrence of the disease they are experiencing. ODGJ is also advised to regularly check with the doctor if they experience certain side effects from the treatment they are undergoing.
Psychotherapy
Handling of ODGJ can also be done with psychotherapy carried out by psychiatrists and psychologists to deal with emotional disorders or psychological problems felt by patients.
Through psychotherapy, ODGJ will be guided and trained to learn to recognize the conditions, feelings, and thoughts that cause the complaints they experience, and help them to be able to deal with them in a positive way.
If you or a member of your family is an ODGJ, don't be discouraged and seek help by consulting a psychiatrist.
With proper treatment from psychiatrists and psychologists, ODGJ can live normal and productive lives like people who do not have the same condition. Therefore, ODGJs do not need to be shunned or even ostracized.