Bryan Duckham presents the case of “M”
Professor Bryan Duckham of the SIUE assistant professor in the Social Work Department recently presented his paper “Bipolar Illness, God, and Object Relations: The Treatment of M,” at the National Association of Christians in Social Work conference.
The paper features a summary of Duckham’s 12 case history with subject “M”, a sufferer of bipolar disorder. The goal of the treatment was to help M achieve stability in his personal relationships as well as a healthier more balanced life style. This was achieved through the use of long term psychoanalytical oriented psychotherapy.
One of the major challenges addressed in the paper was changing of M’s perception of god from one of a punishing god to a caring benevolent god, with the change in spiritual perception serving as a way of helping M deal with the other difficulties in his life.
“Spirituality and religion can be healthy ways of coping,” Duckham explained.
The paper also addresses the importance of long term care and the establishing of healthy relationships over the emphasis on drugs to solve psychological problems.
Filed Under: Social Work
