When mentally ill patients are released, they are categorised either high or low risk. The key difference between the two is self-awareness. High-risk patients do not realise they are mentally ill, and have little or no support from family and friends. They are most susceptible to missing appointments, skipping medication and possibly becoming violent.
To make matters worse, their personalities make them more withdrawn and difficult to monitor. They are prone to hiding or isolating themselves from society.
'These people are at higher risk when they live alone in the community,' says Mr Ng. 'If we had enough manpower to pay for regular home visits or to chase these people when they default on appointments, we could minimise the incidents we have been seeing recently.'
