Lin and her husband Patrick came to The Wave following a serious psychiatric crisis. Their 23-year-old son, D, had escalating drug use that had led to episodes of psychosis. D was hearing voices and was very frightened. His sleep was poor, as the nights were peppered with unpleasant hallucinations and further drug use.

D was initially admitted to The Wave Higher Level of Care program for observation and stabilisation. The Wave HLOC Program is situated in a smaller building away from hustle and bustle of the main house. 

‘Watching our 23-year-old son sit in his room, barely leave the house, was horrible for us. He would only leave to buy beer at a nearby store. He sat in his room alone. He was withdrawn, Isolated, and on his phone all day and night. We didn’t want to believe that he was smoking drugs; it was our worst fear. When we found cannabis and other drugs, we were worried. We met with our psychiatrist, who suggested that a period of intensive treatment was the best option for D. Mental health is not really talked about in my family or in my husband’s family. We really felt like we had nowhere to turn. Mental health treatment in Malaysia is really limited and we were fortunate that our psychiatrist had experience with the medical team at The Wave.’ 

‘Our son, who left studies the year before, hadn’t worked for many months. Each time he had a job it would last for just a few months until the stress caused him to isolated and leave or be asked to leave. This has been happening on and off for 6 years. He looked lost, he wasn’t able to sleep and often looked scared. Our son was admitted to The Wave and quickly they helped to educated us on psychosis and serious mental illness. Dr Rasyid and the nursing team were able to stabilise D and help us all to understand the benefits of medication and how to prevent further episodes.’

‘We had no real knowledge and felt some relief from knowing that our son could be helped. It took sometime to get the right medication, at the right dose. During this time, our son had intensive one-to-one and group therapy and made some friends for the first time in years. He found a new love of sport, particularly Muay Thai.’ 

Following treatment at the Wave, D now returns on an outpatient basis for follow up care with Dr. Rasyid. He has found a job that he really enjoys, and often pops into The Wave to see his old friends and to bring the team a coffee. He has had minor mental health relapses, which have been noticed and helped quickly. 

‘D and our family are so pleased that he went to The Wave. We make sure that we talk to our extended family about mental health matters. It’s really important for parents to see the signs of mental health problems and act quickly.’