Tuesday, July 2

psych day 2

went early. long rounds, where residents, nurses, staff present patients, and any new admissions. attending gave me a chance to present my patient, but i let my resident to do it. i need to hear this a couple more times to get the hang of it.

had community group. all patients on the psych unit, residents, staff, all gather in the cafeteria to talk about general community matters. there was the oddest mix of people in the room, of every different age and race. yet it DID feel like a community.

one old lady in a wheelchair talked about how she felt frustrated everyday, how she felt like she couldn't do anything... she was old, no pigment anywhere left on her, and her muscle mass was basically gone. she sounded like a free animal or spirit that was meant to be free, caught in some vicious trap (old age, psychiatric condition), and she wanted to be free again. imagine anne shirley's spirit caught in that body and mind, and you will understand how i felt. (thanks, jane, for mentioning anne in your blog. it brought back so many memories... oh, matthew! why did you have to die?!! i am a big anne shirley fan. i think i read most of the books. anne of green gables, anne of avonlea, etc.)

i was almost made to cry a second time when another patient thanked the doctors and staff for helping her. she said, "you've been so nice to me. i feel like this is my home. i think i'm getting better because of you." her sentiments was quickly taken up by another patient. i was so happy to be there, to be a part of their care. THIS is why i wanted to be a doctor...

then, later, behind closed doors, the attending told me that that patient said that every week. oh.

interviewed my patient again. he was a little more alert, cooperative, but got irritated as we went on. "i'll feel better when you leave." oooookkkkk

class during lunch on schizoprenia. as always, this topic was fascinating.

had outpatient group elective: psychoanalytic theory.
for those of you who don't know, this is the area that freud and his daughter worked in. negative images and thoughts always come into mind when i think of freud. his work in this field, however, is really fascinating. i don't agree with lots of it, but it's interesting nonetheless.

there is a book by chaim potok, called, the promise, the sequel to the chosen. in the promise, one of the main characters is orthodox jew who is a genius, and especially for the Talmud, who chooses to buck everything and study psychoanalytic theory, which sends shock waves throughout his community and family. as you can imagine, i'm excited that i'm learning the basis of such work.

all of chaim potok's books are wonderful. they're packed with tension, emotion, love (not eros love), and well-fleshed characters. characters that you can see growing. on top of it all, chaim potok writes beautifully, and he moves one's spirit as few authors can.

some of his books that i highly recommend:
the chosen
the promise
my name is asher lev (originally recommended by mike pham and charlotte. the first book of mr. potok's which led to the reading of the rest. i'm very grateful. you opened a new world for me)
the gift of asher lev

returned to psych unit to study and review dementia, as that was our best guess for my patient. learned lots. felt like i was educating myself. was assigned another patient. i already knew a little bit about him, and excited to start working with him.

stayed beyond my hours to write notes on my patients. whooo....i'm doing the things that the residents are doing. interviewing, taking mental status exams, writing notes...i feel like a doctor.



yakob at 7:06 PM

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