Guest Column: Down The Memory Lane..

Volume 6 Issue 5 May 2016

Cultural sensitivity in case management

Socio-cultural and religious aspects dominate our day to day behavior and their role in causation, maintenance and management of psychopathological states is well documented. My very early practice made me realize how sensitive and important it is in our daily practice.

I remember a case of puerperal psychosis in a young woman, brought by relatives and taken care by her grandmother in the hospital. I had the habit of getting removed all the amulets, religious insignia, pooja items as neck chains, arm bands etc. patients have on their body. This patient had two lemons with ‘sacred thread’ on both the arms and two tied to the waist. I got it removed by the nurse during rounds. Very next day there were totally 4 lemons, 2 in each arms and 4 tied around waist. The explanation by the lady was a real eye opener: ‘Sir, we respect you and your wife (incidentally, she was her obstetrician). Yesterday you removed it and we don’t want anything bad to happen either to you or your wife. Hence, I got the special pooja done for both of you to remove any evil from happening!’
It is not an exaggeration that her concern for grand daughter and her doctors made me realize socio-cultural sensitivity each one of us carry and made me avoid no more adventurism in clinical practice!