Dr Robert Bakks, a senior pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
is in Goa in order to raise some awareness on mental health and recently spoke
at a seminar addressing the issue. Dr Bakss has had 26 years of personal
experience with mental illness as he has supported his wife, Jenny, in her
struggle with Bipolar Disorder. His personal experience and struggle over the
years made him more aware about mental health and he wants to reach out to as
many people as he can and help them address the issues, understand what mental
health is all about and also create awareness on handling of patients with
mental disorders by the family. He feels it is imperative for the family to be
able to relate to the illness of other person and manage their responses and
reactions accordingly.
“One day, my wife was extremely happy and
she baked a cake for my mother to celebrate her birthday. She brought all the
family together to cut the cake and sing the birthday song. Sounds perfect,
doesn’t it? And yes, it was a perfect moment and loads of fun celebrating with
my wife, mother and five children. The only odd thing was that my mother’s
birthday was a few months away and it was 3am in the night when my wife
organised all of this. She woke all children from their sleep and she had no
idea that there was something odd about this entire event. Then on some days I
found her extremely sad and depressed, she would feel hopeless, get suicidal thoughts
and not want to do anything, while on other, like I said, she was extremely
happy, overactive, she would cook, paint, shop, start new projects and not
sleep for 3-4 days. It took us a while to understand that she was suffering
from a mental disorder, which the doctors confirmed as being Bipolar, shared Dr
Bakks.
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When doctors told him that there is practically no treatment and
he will just have to leave his wife in a mental hospital, Dr Bakks took a
stand. He didn’t want to leave his wife to suffer alone; he rather took keen
interest in the subject and started reading and researching more and more about
it. Today, after 26 years of this journey with his wife, he has a lot to share
with the people. He has seen her highs and lows, he has seen her been through
shock therapies and yet he has a very positive approach towards the entire
episode.
In his quest to reach out to masses, he has also authored two
books, ‘Panic Attacks’ and ‘Poles Apart’ (along with his wife). He is no
stranger to the effects of anxiety of panic attacks and has helped his wife and
many others manage and overcome the debilitating effects of anxiety. At times
coming out of seemingly nowhere, panic attacks transform the ordinary world of
everyday life into a nightmare of anxiety and suffering. Dr Bakss biblically
addresses this issue and provides theological and practical strategies to deal
with anxiety.
From the darkness of depressive, suicidal moments to the elated
highs of wild and wacky adventures, Jenny Bakss has experienced the swinging of
moods on her bipolar journey since 1993. Together with her husband, Robert,
they describe how God and medical treatment have helped through the manic
moments and the debilitating depressions. ‘Poles Apart’ encapsulates the
couple’s ongoing journey with the highs and lows of bipolar living and
discovers how biblical principles combined with holistic medical care provide
hope and encouragement for those living with a mental illness.
During
the seminar, he shared that in India suicide makes for the second top most
reason for deaths and every fifth person suffers with depression. While only
10-12% of people address the issue and seek treatment, around 90% of the
population remains unaware. In such a scenario, it is so important to talk
about these issues, address them and be open to receive treatment. Like
visiting a regular doctor, one should not shy away from seeing a psychiatrist
or a psychologist either. It’s time we take the bull by the horn and accept the
elephant in the room.
