“ Don’t treat as patient treat as Human being.”

Health is wealth we all know this. But what is health?  Have we understood the word health?

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity is the definition of health giving by world health organization in the year 1948.  Well friends many of us are found wanting when it comes to understanding this definition.

Once a middle aged man who was working as a software engineer developed sudden chest pain and was admitted in a private hospital. Doctors who examined him told him that he had suffered a severe myocardial infarction and advised surgical intervention as soon as possible. So as per doctors’ advice he was operated within a week and his medical condition stabilized. He was discharged and was doing well. Within few days he again developed recurrent palpitations, sweating, chest discomfort and sleep disturbances. He consulted the doctors again who found everything normal in him. The software engineer was not satisfied so he consulted many doctors with no improvement. He started surfing the internet with no satisfying answers. He developed severe sleep disturbances and started to be very irritable towards others. He preferred to be alone. Hence he consulted a psychiatrist. On interview he told he had many financial constraints and had frequent worries about his health and how he is going to take care of his family. He was counseled and advised few medications and advised follow up. He improved within a week and he started to go work as usual. Within few months all his somatic complaints disappeared and he felt as healthy as before.

Another old woman came to a psychiatrist with complaints of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus even after regular insulin injection, severe itching in her legs, sleep disturbances and frequent worries about her future. She started to develop suicidal ideations and had frequent crying spells. Her records showed she had consulted many doctors with no improvement. On detailed interview she told she was a retired teacher.   She had lost her husband and her children have deserted her. She had no one to take care of her. She told she was not able to share this to anyone as no one was keen enough to listen to her. She was counseled and put on drugs and advised follow up. After two months she improved well .Her blood sugar levels came under control. Her skin lesions disappeared and she was able to sleep well. In both the incidents the persons were not given time to share their mental suffering which deteriorated their physical condition. Many of us think treating a person’s physical condition is enough. Treating a mental suffering is his own problem. Mental sufferings can worse a physical condition and a physical condition can worse a mental suffering and vice versa. We should understand this basic fact. You can’t be happy when you are depressed even though you are physically healthy. 

“ Don’t treat as patient treat as human being.” This was told to me by one of my senior teachers. Yes, friends many a time spending a little bit of time and speaking to a person in suffering is all he needs. It can solve many of his problems. So as a care giver as a family member as a friend and as a doctor it is our responsibility to respect others suffering not just by helping in their physical suffering but also  sharing a few minutes with them and listening to their mental suffering and thereby helping them in social well-being.

“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being -Jackie Robinson:  first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.

” LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE. "