Ten years ago, Weerachai Ampoenpad never missed driving his only daughter Luk Kaew to school and picking her up after classes. He also imagined his little girl's bright future and looked forward to driving her to university and to seeing her graduate.

But his dream collapsed when he found out that the family's beloved daughter had been suffering from a chronic, severe and disabling brain disease called schizophrenia.

His daily routine for the last nine years has been almost the same as before. He has still never missed a day driving the girl - not to school any more but to a psychiatric hospital.

"I used to drive her to school. When she is ill, I drive her to hospital. I prefer to come and hear myself how my daughter's sickness has developed," said 54-year-old Weerachai.

Another father, Pinij Suchinphram, 68, has become an inseparable companion to daughter Jib since she was diagnosed with schizophrenia 10 years ago at the age of 25. "When she gets sick, I know there has to be someone taking full-time responsibility for her, and I prefer to be that person," said Pinij.

The roles of Weerachai and Pinij contradict the trend found by psychiatrists that most schizophrenia patients are looked after and taken to hospitals by their mothers or female relatives.

However, one psychiatrist said: "Do you know, it would be better for patients if their fathers played an important role in taking care of them."

Srithanya Hospital psychiatrist Somrak Choovanichvong found in her research that women were sensitive, worried and emotional. Sometimes they were unable to cope with patients in some situations, especially when they acted violently.

"On the contrary, men are more reasonable. They were also found to have a better attitude and perception towards patients and the illness."

Schizophrenics are sometimes paranoid and so feel safe and warm when with their protective fathers.

"Jib was afraid of everyone except me," Pinij said.

His daughter was working as a clerk at a private company when one day she was shocked from tension and was never the same again.

Pinij, who was a senior engineer at the time, decided to quit his job so that he could spend all his time taking care of his daughter, both physically and mentally.

Nowadays, his daily routine involves being with Jib, preparing her food and medicines and taking her outside, to hospital and wherever she wants to go.

"Sometime, it might be hard for a man to spend his time on something that might never show an obvious result," said psychiatrist Somrak. "Schizophrenia is a chronic disease. In a number of cases, the best thing we can do is to maintain the patient's condition."

The younger the patient, the harder it is for their brain to recover.

Weerachai's daughter Luk Kaew started showing symptoms of schizophrenia nine years ago when she was 15. It almost broke the hearts of her parents.

"It started when she became depressed and told me that she suffered from going to school," Weerachai recalled.

Luk Kaew had developed unusual behaviour. During each class, she always asked permission from the teacher to go outside and walked up and down the four-storey building until she had no more energy to continue.

She is paranoid when going outside and always hears or feels something which does not exist.

She told her father that she suffered so much going to school that she wanted to die. "I decided to take her out of school. I knew she wasn't the same," he said.

Weerachai has taken years to accept what is happening. Nowadays, he is the main carer for Luk Kaew, who is now 24. Father and daughter have become close and Weerachai believes he can cope with situations better than his wife. He knows what to do when Luk Kaew is paranoid, depressed, upset or angry.

The main duty of the father is doing everything to make Luk Kaew happy with her life.

Weerachai has become a student of Srithanya Hospital's weekend class that teaches parents about schizophrenia. He has met many parents who are in the same situation. They share experiences and give moral support to each other.

Both Weerachai and Pinij have become permanent lecturers to the class to share what they have faced with others.

"I want to give courage to other people who have schizophrenics in their families. If you can do your best, life is not too bad," said Weerachai.

Pinij added: "The most important thing is to accept that your child is ill. It's useless to be ashamed and shut her in at home. She needs to have activities and to come to hospital."

Chatrarat Kaewmorakot

The Nation