Case of Mrs S
Mrs S, a 49-year-old woman, cares for her 21-year-old
daughter who was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Since her initial hospitalization over a year ago, the daugh-
ter has been living at home and attending the Day Care
Programme at the out-patient department of a nearby
hospital on a regular basis. Although Mrs S has been
notified of the diagnosis by the psychiatrist, she has not
discussed the diagnosis with her daughter. Her daughter
does not believe that she is mentally ill. However, she has
been taking medication as prescribed by her physician,
believing that she will eventually get well from her ‘condi-
tion’. According to Mrs S, her daughter believes that
she has some kind of illness, similar to physical ailments,
because of headaches, nausea and general weakness she
experiences. Mrs S is not sure whether or not she should tell
her daughter about her mental illness. Subsequently, Mrs S
calls the nurse, wanting to discuss this dilemma with her.