Isolation from family members and her deep worry over her arthritis condition had triggered the relapse.

Now that she is in a completely disorientated state and out of touch with reality, I am falling into depression too as I witness my wife suffer so horrifically from this terrifying mental illness.

I am helpless and, in a bid to arrest the problem of isolation from friends and family, I have been appealing for support and for Befrienders to come and visit us. Sadly, so far, no one has responded.

As my wife is being prepared for Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) to speed up her recovery, I am left to bear the pain alone. An IMH medical officer who initially refused to see me to explain the results of my wife's tests before her ECT has compounded my pain.

I have struggled for more than three decades to care for my wife and it is taking a serious toll on my mental and physical health. Polyclinic doctors must also be trained to help patients who display warning signs of depression. Despite my revealing openly that I am severely depressed over my wife's relapse, no one has bothered to help.

In Singapore, there is no organisation that looks into the welfare of the caregiver whose loved one gets hospitalised for mental illness.

There should be a system in place whereby the caregiver is given immediate assistance when a loved one suffering from mental illness is warded because we too are vulnerable to falling into depression.

If this crucial support is not addressed immediately, more and more people will fall into depression.

Raymond Anthony Fernando