Mid Semester Break

Back to where i belong--Penang, after a gruelling 8 week start for my forth year. And yep, that's a quarter of it gone.

I was just done with my posting in the psychiatric department. For which was supposed to be the easiest and most relaxed posting through out the clinical years, I had to struggle with a brand new environment which lead to many episodes of break down. Recapping on what had happened for the past 8 weeks, I was just glad it's now over.

Perhaps I was still in holiday mood(1st posting of the 4th year, after the 3rd year break) , I hardly took things seriously until there was a dire need to reproduce something expected. I did not have as many teaching sessions with my supervisor as the other groups experienced, but that was not something I could lament on. Indeed, I lacked the own initiative to gain valuable learning experiences from the wards and the clinics, which would explain how I regretted when I left this posting. I do admit I need a push to get forward, and that was how it went when I was not pushed.

The more common cases in Psychiatry include Schizophrenia, Major Depression, Bipolar Mood Disorders, Anxiety disorders, and Substance Abuses. I used to think that patient who are diagnosed with a kind of psychiatric disorder are dangerous. Perhaps this was just my prejudiced opinion. After clerking some patients, especially schizophrenia patients who are stable, I can figure out what they were thinking during their relapsed state. Take an example of this patient, who was singling and labeling everyone out there as some royal person from the past. She was also smiling to anyone she saw, and to the extent of bowing to them. She later clarified that she had a delusion that everyone was from the royal family and the bowing was just a show of respect. I also noticed many patients with depression, who merely wanted someone to listen to them, and be with them. I had an experience of being with a patient for 2.5 hours just to listen to her complaining about her marriage and her life. Pitiful, yet helpless.


Overall, I think the best moment of the whole posting was on the day we had our exam. Observed long case examination. We were supposed to take a direct history of presenting illness and present the case to our observing supervisor. Then, we were to describe the mental state and discuss the appropriate investigations and managements. 5 of us were given a chance to clerk the patient and assessed on the spot. Although it lasted for around 4 hours, I really learnt a lot from the session (although it was an exam). The moment i exited the exam room ( interview room) was perhaps the best and the worst of the posting. The best that I had passed this posting and going to proceed to the holidays but the sad thing was going to part away with psychiatry for some time.

I will miss psychiatry, and the patients. Otorhinolaryngology  or more known as ENT (ear nose throat) will be up next. For the time being, lets lay back with the 1 week semester break =D


yikping
300pm