Schizophrenia

This is one of the mis-understood disease I know of, thanks to the movies. Also it is one of the most diagnosed and sometimes mis-diagnosed disease in psychiatry. Almost every patient that walks into the physician's office in psychiatry had/has a bizarre behavior. In fact most people would only send someone to psychiatry due to bizarre behaviors.. Yes they do have bizarre behaviors but not everyone with a bizarre behavior is schizophrenic.

So I sit down in the clinic today and almost every patient that walks in, is diagnosed with schizophrenia or at least schizophrenia is a differential diagnosis(not a big surprise). Despite all my previous training on schizophrenia, I have seen too many movies and heard so many ideas of schizophrenia that I still have a hard time grasping the truth of this disease, so I find it quite hard to relate when I see a patient who doesn't fit all this funny Ideas I have about schizophrenia and I am being told "this is a case of schizophrenia".. But I don't think am the only one who has this problem, because my tutor seems to emphasize, "if a patient comes in with a bizarre behavior, dig deep it isn't necessarily a schizophrenic case". hmmmmmm for one to lay emphasis on something means a lot of people make that mistake.. So am I excused?? well NO..

My question is how do you change a belief you have had for a long time?? How easy do you think it is? Because studying medicine dose that, it try's to change most of the ideas/beliefs you've always had about a lot of things (again thanks to the movies and TV shows). Imagine how my mind runs back and forth when am in such situations.

Here are some common Ideas People have about schizophrenics:

• They have more than one personality; well they have only one personality although their personality may be disturbed.
• They are 'mad'; yes it is true schizophrenics will sometimes act in a strange way, but most often they behave quite normally.
• They are violent and dangerous; some schizophrenics may become violent if the are very angry and frustrated, but they are usually timid, fearful and quite. As matter of fact don't non schizophrenics get violent when very frustrated and angry.

This are drawing from Louis Wain an artist who slid into schizophrenia

Schizophrenia refers to personality problems where the individual may have difficulty deciding what is real and what is not real. Schizophrenia is a bit like having a dream when you are wide awake — you are unsure whether the events in the dream are really happening to you or not.

Keep smiling, love

Creative Therapy

My dear friends, Becoming a doctor, My journey has begone........As you all know, or most of you know, I started my practice today in Psychiatry here in Debrecen, its a four week practice.

Creative therapy is a form of therapy aimed at processing negative emotions, or inspiring behavioral and mental change or healing through expression. In lay English it is a form of therapy to make people happy or at least attempt to. it is a different approach to counselling and therapy. I was privileged to attend a session today with co student doctors and patients. We took part in it and was really fun. I made some really cool stuffs..

making a flower..

tadaaaaaaa done.

making a beads chain
and rocking it!!!

One of the things we learn in medicine is to always show empathy, that is to feel what the patient is feeling. I think to make a great doctor you have to fit yourself in the patients shoe, feel what they are feeling, before you act. I kinda learnt that today, we were put in the position of patients today, sat with them round a table, carried out the same task as them, some of the patient even helped us a bit (obviously they were better than us in this). Doing the same things as these patient, put me in their shoes. I went through what they went through during these sessions, I had the same experience as these patients, I was a Patient today. which was very insightful. If I didn't sit with those patients today, I would normally pass and just think oh poor people, look how they are treating them like kids, making them make silly beautiful paper flower. Today that thought changed.

Me and my mates were just laughing all through, we all kept seeing this is good therapy for me, this is good therapy for me. When we got done we were all so proud of our work. We felt we archived something.

I left the session today feeling so happy (I definitely will be going back often). I can now say, this is a great therapy, I have experienced the happiness it brings and would recommend it to patients who need it. Now I know I am not just subjecting some depressed patient to go do some silly things. I mean look at us, final year medical students, doing stuffs that 5 year olds would normally do but we didn't feel silly one bit, instead we felt alive, happy and excited. So why not recommend it, if thats what it takes a depresses patient to smile, or a mentally retard patient to build an IQ, or a manic person to calm down, or a schizophrenic to think.

In general being creative does keep us 'alive', happy, excited..... so get creative. I have a lot of friends who keep telling all the time, am bored, get creative then, learn how to do some thing new once in a while. It helps.

Whoever said doctor's don't have fun, obviously never went for a creative therapy session. look at us we had a blast today.. ha ha. First day was conquered, and am glad.

Love

Its My Birthday!!!!

Woooohoooooooooo, cake, music, balloons.. bring it on lets paaaaartyyyy.. lol..

Am just filled with so much gratitude today. To God, my lovely family, and the best friends ever, you have made my years here worth living and without you I wouldn't have made it this far, so this is me saying a big THANK YOU.

As a double today I begin my 6th year which is my final year in medical school. whaaaaaaaaat??

Just took a moment to look back on life......................................... all I can say is AM BLESSED.

keep smiling, love