Nine-year-old Otto has an illness that causes him to experience uncontrollable twitches and compulsive swearing. He was diagnosed by a psychiatrist with Tourette syndrome, which causes tics. Otto's tics started after his father abandoned him and he had to live with his grandma. At school, Otto was bullied by classmates and had to move to three different schools. The boy was treated by psychiatrist Dr Stephen Stone and psychologist Lisa Yodmon at Barnette Hospital in London.
Otto is a character in a new young Thai adult book titled Becoming A Butterfly, by Melisa Yodmondhop, psychologist and founder of the Tam Jai Nak Jittawittaya (Follow Psychologist) Facebook page. Becoming A Butterfly was adapted from Melisa's own experiences when she was a psychologist trainee in a hospital in the UK. The book features 12 cases of children who have to deal with psychological issues. Each chapter describes a child's symptoms, his or her background and how to treat the patient in easy to understand and graphic language. Melisa said she decided to write this book because she wanted young readers to have more reading material choices.
"There are many academic psychology books and how-to parenting books in the market. I decided to write a young adult book about a mental disorder because this kind of book is easy to understand, but hard to find in Thailand. When I was young, there were several kinds of young adult books and this book is another choice for readers. Since young readers can understand the book, more adults will understand about mental disorders as well. Moreover, some people know that they should consult with a psychiatrist or a psychologist when they have a mental illness, but they have no idea about the treatment process. I wrote the process down, so people will not worry about it," said Melisa.
Due to ethical issues in healthcare about the confidentiality of the patients, details about characters in the books are different from real patients. However, Melisa ensured that everything related to medical treatment is accurate. The book is suitable for 12-year-old children and older as some parts may not be appropriate for younger readers.
The young adult book, Becoming A Butterfly. Photo courtesy of Mangmoom Book
"There are some complicated emotions, domestic violence and vulgar language. For 12-year-old children and younger, parents should read to them and help guide them. The book arranges the chapters from light to dark issues like "Harry Potter" does," she said.
The psychologist worked with many cases during her training in London but she chose 12 cases to include in the book.
"Some cases in the book are not about mental disorders. There are cases with a family problem or a parenting problem. I chose Tourette syndrome, which most people are not familiar with so that they will not judge a patient who cannot control his sudden twitches and compulsive swearing. I also included cases that people experience often such as comparing siblings, spoiling children and abusive parenting. This behaviour can lead to a mental illness or cause a child to be bullied and to be mocked. I also chose cases that I felt connected to, so I could write them clearly and easily," said Melisa.
To help adults understand children better, Becoming A Butterfly, conveys stories through the eyes of children.
"There are many books that are told from the adults' viewpoints. I wanted readers to see things through the eyes of children. I work with many children and have been trained to see through their eyes. I learn what they want to tell adults. Also, I was a child before and I had some experiences similar to the children in the book. When I read some chapters to teenagers, they told me that I understood how young people feel and they wanted their parents and other adults to read this book," she said.
Melisa earned a master's degree in early intervention in psychosis from King's College London. The psychologist explained that early intervention in psychosis is a service supported by the UK government in order to help people to have a better quality of life.
"When someone has a mental illness, the patient has to spend a lot of money on medication since some are as expensive as medication for chronic diseases such as cancer. In some cases, patients must be hospitalised for a long period of time. Hence, whenever people in the UK feel that they cannot solve problems, they can visit the early intervention in psychosis centres that are not located in hospitals. These people can immediately receive help from a psychiatrist, psychologist or therapist before it develops into a mental illness," said Melisa.
As a professional psychologist, Melisa would also like to share her knowledge and experiences related to psychological issues, so she established the Facebook page, Follow Psychologist, which has more than 230,000 followers. On Follow Psychologist and in Becoming A Butterfly, Melisa describes a psychologist as "a friendly stranger who stands by your side to support you".
Becoming A Butterfly. Summer Book Fest 2021
"Psychologists do not know patients personally, so we are strangers. However, we are capable of being a friend who stays beside them. A friend is someone who will be there with them in good and bad times. We are not their teachers, so we do not preach to them. We are not their coaches, so we do not guide which way they should choose. We are friends, so we are equal to them. We stay with them until they can overcome their obstacles. Preaching or teaching is not the answer. Our duties are to talk and discuss with them and be a sounding board. The most important factor is we accept who they are. If they do not like themselves, they will figure out how to change themselves in order to achieve their goals," explained Melisa.
After working in Thailand for years, the psychologist realised that there are many issues related to young patients.
"Some parents do not understand child development at different ages. These parents have high expectations beyond their child's age. Toxic parenting can gradually cause problems that the children are unaware of and this may develop into a chronic illness," she said.
In Thailand, many parents do not understand that consulting a psychiatrist or a psychologist does not mean their children are crazy. Melisa suggested that parents and guardians should visit specialists for advice if they see something wrong with their children.
"If children do not grow normally for their age, it can affect their mental health. They can feel insecure and some may experience bullying. For teenagers, if parents notice that they are depressed or angry and tend to hurt themselves or others, they should consult a specialist. If some parents cannot handle their children and resort to using cruel and abusive punishment or verbal abuse, they should consult a psychiatrist or a psychologist to find a better solution," suggested Melisa.
Becoming A Butterfly is another way to educate Thai society about mental disorders. Melisa hopes that her book will help people understand more about some mental disorders.
"I hope we can try to understand the people around us without being judgemental. We also should understand ourselves and forgive ourselves for any mistakes we made. Thus, we can learn from our mistakes and develop into a better version of ourselves," said Melisa.
