For single mums Tama Tam and Suna Tsoi, every day is an exhausting struggle
ELIZABETH CHEUNG
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 13 February, 2016, 1:17am
UPDATED : Saturday, 13 February, 2016, 1:34am
Tam (left) and Tsoi say families need more support. Photo: Bruce Yan
For Tama Tam Kwai-chi and Suna Tsoi Kim-wa, taking care of their sons has been an exhausting battle, both physically and mentally.
Both single mothers, Tam and Tsoi, whose sons suffer from schizophrenia, have been supporting each other in the family network group New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association.
“Doctors told me my son has to be on medication for the rest of his life ... I’m very upset as he has to be tortured by drugs forever,” said Tam, whose son has been unwell for about eight years.
While medication helps calm down the 24 year old’s temper, his mother worries about the effects of the treatment.
“He can stay awake for just two to three hours in 24 ... and saliva drips from his mouth,” she said.
Concerned about the side-effects brought about by the medication, Tam has been learning pressure-point massage to help relieve some of his suffering.
“It’s very strenuous, I have to take care of him all the time,” Tam said.
For Tsoi meanwhile, caring for her 30-year-old son over the past decade has been increasingly challenging as he is physically bigger and stronger than her.
“I always have to remind him many times [to do things] ... and he likes to keep wandering around the flat,” Tsoi, 60, said.
“He has a 50-inch waist and is 1.7 metres tall, I just can’t control him,” said Tsoi, who is 20 centimetres shorter than her son.
She said greater support, such as an inquiry hotline and more mental health community centres, was necessary for patients’ families.
“I just call 999 whenever my son has any issue. It is really worrying,” Tsoi said.
While the Social Welfare Department has set up at least one community centre for mental health in every district since 2010, Tsoi said more should be done to make the lives of sufferers and their families more convenient.
The two mothers have committed much time and energy to learning about mental illness. Despite the wrinkles and grey hair that have resulted, the well-being of their sons is still their priority.
“I’m worried no one would take care of him if I passed away. He can’t cook,” Tsoi said.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1912471/mothers-face-daily-battle-care-their-schizophrenic
