Stress related mental disorders

VIII. Allow the patient to be in a peaceful and pleasant environment where the patient could enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenes, for the patients who are driven by anger and ill-will, a peaceful environment is therapeutical. Select an uncrowded time for the patient to be at a quiet place such as a shady tree in a park at least twice a week.

IX. Introduce the patient to social gatherings along with his family members.

All the above efforts are to lead the patient to personality development.

Mental disorders such as depression or stress cannot be completely cured by any mono-dimensional methods of therapy such as medication and meditation. Buddhist psychotherapy does not discard any form of modern psychotherapies such psychiatry, psycho-analysis, behavioural therapies or medical hypnosis. In fact, Buddhist psychotherapy appreciates all these specialised efforts and keep to time targets. It takes seven to twelve weeks to complete its therapeutical work. Each session has targets to achieve.

Now our attention should be on how to prevent anyone becoming mental patients and the ways and means of managing stress and strain in our day to day life.

The tendency to become stressful should be dealth with from the time one is in the mother's womb, by following rituals and traditions linked to child birth. For instance the pregnant mothers are given respect and affection at home and in the community. Family members make vows for the protection of the child in the womb as well as the pregnant mother.

The family members perform the ritual called the gaba-perahera for the purpose of protecting the child as well as the mother. Thus the newly born child receives the warmth of the parents and the members of the family.

Practice of Metta Bhavana - cultivation of thoughts of kindness and care was upheld as a virtue by traditional society. Buddha's discourse in loving kindness (Metta Sutta) contains several very fine concepts or ideas such as reduction of work load (Appa kiccho), avoidance of sinful acts (Anawajjani Kammanai), one should lead an easily supportable life (Subharoca). The very recital of Metta Sutta has soothing effect which leads one to relax way of life.

Singing devotional songs with or without musical instruments also has relaxing effects. In West Bengal I have seen factory workers and labourers relaxing and enjoying by singing Bhajan geethas during the lunch hour interval.

The very eating the simple lunch of gram flower gave them contentment. In Sri Lanka's traditional society, as I have seen as a child, there were occasions for the rural people to sing and dance. That way of relaxed life style is fast fading away from the rural society.

The recital of hymns to the tune of music, coming forth from Christian churches instill devotion and relaxation in the minds of the Christians. I remember the devotional Hindu kovil recital at Rameshwaram in South India and similar recital at Rama Krishna Mission at Wellawatta. Similarly Muslims too have 'Baith' recitals at their mosques. Such devotional music and singing have therapeutical effects on patients having mental disorders and also they have a preventive effect too.

Personality development

For the development of the personality of mental patients, replanting of moral values is essential. I remember Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara, about twenty five years ago, was speaking of the need to instill Kusalakusala Vinnanaya (consciousness of moral values) at least in our younger generations. By means of modern psychological techniques of persuasion, such moral values can be implanted in young minds. Concluded