A Case of a Foreign National with Schizophrenia Who Visited India and Relapsed During Her Stay: A Psychiatric Social Work Perspectives

The study aimed to assess the psycho-social factors and to provide psychiatric social work intervention for a person with schizophrenia. It used a single-subject case study design. A female case of foreign national with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia was selected from the Indoor Patient Department of IHBAS, India. The information was gathered through interviews, case record files, observation and ward behaviour of the patient. Social history taking proforma, Family Assessment Device, The Spiritual Intelligence Self-report Inventory (SISRI-24), Internalized Stigma Scale and Resilience Scale (RSTM) were administered. The study’s finding shows that travelling from one country to another with a different culture for a person with mental illness is stressful. She had difficulties in adjusting to the new environment. The complexity of local system, language difficulties, cultural disparities and adverse experiences had caused distress to the client. Psychiatric social work intervention was provided to the client. The intervention mainly focused on strengthening social networks, psycho-education, supportive intervention, insight development, teaching healthy coping and liaising and collateral contact. The client was helped in recognizing her illness and coping with her stressful situation of being away from her country. Further, client’s belief in spirituality to overcome her problem helped her face the stressful situation and fasten the recovery process. The patient was treated on a biopsychosocial model and reunited with her family in Sweden.