Bring Mental Health Care to Cambodians

A 26-year-old man was reported by his brother to Operation Unchain Project via hotline. He lives in a remote district near the Khmer-Thai border of Battambang province. When the mobile team arrived there, the patient was chained by his relatives and left alone in a shabby hut. The patient could not communicate. The shabby huts were littered with rubbish, which was filled with foam boxes that relatives give food for him.

According to relatives, they described that at the onset of the illness, the patient often took water or drink to pour for praying ghost’s spirituals before he ate. When he saw the ants drowning, he lifted the ants up to the pillar. He eats raw meat, such as beef or fish. When a chicken came near him, he killed the chicken and ate it without cooking.

He behaved aggressively and smashed other’s cars. At that time, relatives took him to a traditional healer (monk)for treatment, but he did not recover. The monk explained that no bad magic spiritual within him and advised to take him to the psychiatric hospital. Because he was in a remote area, his relatives did not take him to the hospital, but instead took him to see two more traditional healers. His signs and symptoms often appear before holy day of Buddhism and during holy day. The patient sleep at day time but sleeps less at night and talks alone. The patient has very poor insight.

When he was adolescent, the patient was beaten on the head and had an accident with head injury and had used drugs. Because he was aggressive and made harmful on others, the relatives decided to chain him for years.

After he received treatment done by TPO for a month, his insight was improved and was able to communicate. The patient was recovered and relatives released after 10 weeks of treatment. At present, patients can help with some of the housework and farm work.

Relatives and neighbors expressed their excitement and congratulations to the patient because they never had any hope of recovering and become human being again. They thanked TPO and generous individuals who helped to treat this patient until he recovered with free of charge.