February 18, 2011

February 18, 2011 – Friday
--Rev. Godlove Ndongndeh’s office is a quick walk from the rest house. I was warmly received and visited with the social worker while he finished a counseling session. She’s assured me that it will be possible for me to learn more about the preparation of local dishes, and she really laughed when I said I haven’t yet mustered the courage to try something that to me looks like the contents of a baby diaper although it smells much, much better. We talked about social work needs here – they’re very much the same as I knew when I did social work years ago.
--Rev. Godlove and I talked for an hour about the mental health needs here. There are only 2 psychiatrists in this country and neither is available in this region. Locally the medical doctors are overly burdened and thus they do not diagnose or treat psychiatric illnesses. Here the medical establishment refers those who may have psychiatric needs to Pastoral Care and Counseling for assessment. After they’ve evaluated the patient, a DSM-IV diagnosis is given, the patient is sent back to the medical team and finally medications are prescribed within the limits of the very narrow formulary and their expertise – yikes. It is clear that the same serious psychiatric disorders with their associated problems occur here as are known all over the world, and it is equally clear that the needs are not addressed here and people are suffering.
--The presentation with the medical and nursing staff directors and members of the Pastoral Care Team went very well – lots of questions and discussion, much more than we had time for. I gave them a few hastily prepared protocols based on their formulary and promised to develop more for them ASAP. I’ll also search for avenues to expand the psychotropics in the formulary. They were fascinated with descriptions of telemedicine.
- Rev. Godlove is training a class of Pastoral Care counselors; I stayed to observe and found it very interesting. It was especially gratifying to see how tolerant and accepting they are of individual, theological and cultural differences – the goal is to help all God’s people in ways that that find acceptable and useful.
--Afterward Joe and Mildred, Rev. Godlove’s Administrative Assistant, joined us for delicious supper of well-prepared Cameroonian foods at a nearby restaurant – yum. We made plans to meet again before I leave – I’ll see a few patients, and we’ll go to the large CBCHB hospital to meet with their Medical Director to discuss ways to enhance mental health and psychiatric services. After I leave we will remain in close contact, and Rev. Godlove will send cases to me from time to time for treatment recommendations.