Murni Panengsih, a maid from Indonesia, was recently sentenced for assaulting and abusing an elderly, infirm woman. Her job was to care for all of the patient’s personal needs, keep the house clean and neat, and accomplish other tasks for the family. A forensic psychiatrist in Singapore, Dr John Bosco Lee,  discovered that the maid’s mental condition directly affected her ability to cope with the increasingly stressful responsibilities of her position, causing her to resort to violence as an outlet for her tension and frustration. With a proper understanding of the woman’s emotional state and effective mental health treatment in Singapore, the situation might have been avoided.

The Evidence of Assault

After the old woman complained that someone was trying to kill her, her daughter, Mdm Ng Lee Cheng, checked the footage from the CCTV unit in the home. The maid, Murni Panengsih, was caught on camera abusing her elderly patient multiple times, slamming her head down on the pillow, slapping her, and handling her roughly. Quickly, the daughter filed a police report about the abuse. When a doctor examined the elderly woman, he discovered bruises, abrasions, and contusions on her face, head, and ankles.

Faced with the evidence of what she had done, Murni Panengsih pled guilty to five counts of causing hurt to the 96-year-old woman. She was sentenced to 10 months in jail for the abuse.

The Explosive Power of Negative Emotions

A psychiatrist in Singapore examined Murni after her arrest and discovered that she was suffering acutely from Adjustment Disorder. Lonely, sad, isolated, overworked, and depressed, Murni could no longer handle her emotions in a positive way, and she lashed out at the nearest vulnerable target – the elderly woman in her care.

Murni had been employed by the family for nearly two years. In that time, she did not have one day off to rest and recuperate. She was separated from family, far away from her young son who lives in Indonesia. Her request for a visit back home was denied, since her employers wanted her to finish her two-year contract as a maid and caregiver.

Struggling with feelings of frustration, anger, bitterness, or despair can send individuals into a spiral of negative emotions that demands an outlet. With professional help to sort through and deal with those emotions, people find other outlets, such as aggression, addiction, or abuse. In the case of the maid, Murni Panengsih, those feelings took over and caused her to act out in a violent manner, injuring the woman she was supposed to be caring for.

The Path to Emotional Peace and Recovery

If you frequently feel trapped, angry, frustrated, anxious, or hopeless, don’t wait until those feelings become overpowering. Give yourself the chance to get help. Seek professional advice and counseling at Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic in Singapore.

Our mental health experts are kind, caring, and professional, and they will maintain your confidentiality and your privacy. When you visit an Adelphi psychologist in Singapore, you can rest assured that you’ll get effective, immediate help with the negative emotions that have you trapped. With treatment and counseling, you should be able to recover your emotional and mental equilibrium and start enjoying your life again.

News Feed from Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic

Source: Straits Times, September 05, 2016