A 30 year old lady was admitted to ICU for
an overdose on various medications. This
was not her first overdose attempt. As
the conversation unfolded she revealed many dark and difficult periods in life
(sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol abuse, relational disappointments and
spiritual deserts). She had been in and
out of psychiatric treatment facilities and was now finding it difficult to
cope with life. Her loving
husband is currently her only support system.
The attending casualty doctor asked that I please visit her as she believed
that God is the true answer to her many problems.
In spite of the sadness and disappointments
that this patient has experienced, it was a God-given opportunity to allow her if
to safely express her feelings towards God in a caring environment. Being emotionally, physically and spiritually
hurt in the past lead this patient to believe in a very bleak future.
My role was not to rescue her from her
medical or physical ailments but to be a compassionate, professional, caring
and sympathetic ear when no one else could by allowing her to explore spiritual journey.
I continued to visit with her until special arrangement was made for her
to be admitted into a psychiatric treatment program. A follow up visit was arranged at the treatment
center where I found that she was doing somewhat better.
Although a long and bumpy road lies ahead, it reminded me that life
without God seems impossible.
On the PhD front, my supervisor has approved my research proposal (Non-fatal overdoses on prescription medication: an
exploration of the characteristics of the patients from a psycho-social-spiritual
perspective) and is now in the hands of the post-graduate committee for final consideration.
