Response to Neil Duchac
Thank you for the feedback. I agree that the case is complicated and challenging. I also agree that in addition to depression, Frank is suffering from grief. Frank has lost so much in his life, starting from his job, his lover and later on in the movie; his father dies of a drug overdose. Having a secondary diagnosis like grief will change my therapeutic approach as I will have to involve the family members in the therapy session.
Although having the family in the therapy sessions is often considered a good thing, the family dynamics may sometimes interfere with the therapy sessions. When the family is not helpful, it may negatively impact the treatment process. It is therefore important to adopt treatment modalities that will address any of the concerns. Doing away with the family dynamic is almost impossible. Therefore, I need to enlighten my patient on the effects of his family’s decisions and lifestyles on his life. I will also explain to the family the purpose of the treatment and the benefits that the patient will enjoy from it. It is important for the family to understand that each person has their unique way of dealing with issues and the time taken to recover from grief varies too. Therefore, as a psychiatrist, I will ask that the family focuses on the problem at hand, rather than at an individual. Listening and understanding each person’s point of view is also critical and I should make an emphasis of using the pronoun “I” during the discussions. This will shed light on the various reasons that make the family uncooperative during treatment.