Avoiding the situation of communication with psychiatric patients could be the best solution, if not for the circumstances that can make this communication internally. You can't stop to chat with a relative or loved one if they attain such trouble. A situation may arise when some time have to deal with strangers, having mental deviations.
How you can protect yourself in this conversation from the negative emotional consequences?
Define clearly your strengths and resources, assess whether they have enough for you to communicate in a given situation.
Mental illnesses manifest themselves differently in different people. There are patients that can communicate only by a qualified technician. It is impossible to live and interact with those who are able to bring real threat to human life. Such patients are placed in special conditions and contact with them is possible only for a limited time and with defined safeguards.
In all other cases, communication with psychiatric patients pose no threat to life but is also stressful and energy consuming.
Define clearly how much time you can communicate with the patient without serious loss to his mental health, to what extent is able to guide his behavior. Depending on this, recruit outside help or look for other ways to solve everyday situations.
Consult a qualified electrician about the mental illness of a person.
All mental illnesses have their specifics, which you need to know. You will receive additional information and extra ways to control a situation, if the specialist will talk about the prognosis of the disease, its course and other characteristics. Also you will be alerted about the surprises that you want to be ready and on your strategies that will help to remove many tense moments. Sometimes these strategies may seem strange to us with the ordinary point of view, but they can be most effective in communicating with people who have mental disabilities.
It is important to change your attitude towards the mentally ill.
It is a natural reaction that appears in most people during early contact with psychiatric patients – it's a shock and stress. Severe irritation may accompany such communication for a long time. It is important to give yourself time to go through this stress. Do not refuse help for yourself, you can have a qualified specialist in this difficult time. For you, this period may be more severe than for a mentally ill relative, with which we maintain relationships.
It is very important the correct attitude to the patient. The fact that he behaves or is not aware of, causes severe irritation. Although this can be a consequence of the disease, not the evil will of man. It is very difficult to accept this fact, because we habitually requires a mentally ill person is normal and correct behavior. Our irritation, though justifiable, takes a lot of effort and makes the situation much harder than it really is.
Find a way to fully accept inappropriate behavior as a given, without evaluation. It could you don't like, but you can't treat a mentally ill person as healthy, which doesn't behave.
If you are able to achieve such a relationship, the situation becomes much easier.
This may help in the explanation of a specialist on mental illness and counseling on rethinking your relationship to the patient.
Communication with a person with a mental disorder can be a serious challenge. If you are unable to avoid such communication, it is possible to make it if not enjoyable then at least less stressful and emotionally expensive.
