Edit: I’ve been informed that the psychiatry portrayed in this book actually is a good representation of the way it is practiced in North America… which leaves me a little stumped… But means that some of my criticism below is ungrounded. Six months ago, I was happy. I was simply Naomi Carradine. One month ago,Continue reading “Book Review: Unravel”
Tag Archives: Psychiatry 371
Mitchells Plain Diaries
This is a recipe for a Township on the Cape Flats: 1. Take one medium-sized residential zone. 2. Pre-heat to levels of Rage and Discontent, using a Past like Apartheid. 3. Grease the pan with a good measure of Hope by Changing Living Standards. If this is unavailable, Promising Change is a good substitute. 4. CombineContinue reading “Mitchells Plain Diaries”
Books as a Mirror for Attitudes toward Mental Health
For Mental Health Awareness Month I wanted to make a list of books about mental health. I was done with a rough draft when I realised I didn’t like it: I hadn’t read that many YA about mental health and some pretty voracious readers are sure to post some fantastic lists. What I do wantContinue reading “Books as a Mirror for Attitudes toward Mental Health”
How to do a Mental State Evaluation
I’ve been rotating through psychiatry, and it’s both more challenging and more fun than last year. One thing I’m happy about is that I already know how to perform a Mental State Evaluation (MSE). I remember it was really daunting to learn, and I’m also hearing from my friends in the year below me thatContinue reading “How to do a Mental State Evaluation”
[Guest] Elective Extravaganza: Rural Psychiatry in Kimberley and Lobatse
Kopano N. Mokale has just completed his fourth year of medical school at a South African university. He did his fourth year elective in Rural Psychiatry, something I thought was very brave and super interesting. I trust you will enjoy his story. As always, let me know if you’d like to share your Elective story.Continue reading “[Guest] Elective Extravaganza: Rural Psychiatry in Kimberley and Lobatse”
I said, eliminate the stigma..!
Studying for tests on Friday which will hopefully mean the end of Middle Clinical Rotations and herald the beginning of my Late Clinical Rotations, i.e. the final 17 months of medical school. One of the tests is psychiatry. I saw these two secrets on PostSecret that tugged at my heartstrings (metaphorically).
Poetry For People Who Need It Most
I mentioned a while ago how enamoured I am with Shane Koyczan’s work. An especially special poem (is “poem” the right word?) is Instructions for a Bad Day. It struck me. It gave me hope. And I’ve been telling people about it over and over.
5 Things You May Not Know About Psychiatry*
Maybe you’re well-read, and Sylvia Plath and Ken Kesey are your homies. And you watched Prozac Nation and Black Swan and A Beautiful Mind and you didn’t laugh at the protagonists or roll your eyes at their “crazy”. So even if you haven’t rotated through Psych – or maybe you’re not even remotely in theContinue reading “5 Things You May Not Know About Psychiatry*”
Why We Need Psychiatry
In a psychiatry tutorial, we learned just how focussed we are on physical symptoms (I don’t think that was its goal, but I learned it in anycase). Students had to act out certain psychiatric symptoms, while the other students guessed. One student was being “interviewed”, rattled off a few sentences, and then abruptly stopped:
Follow Friday: On The Other Side Of The Desk
I started blogging as a way of debriefing myself and in the process discovered a whole world of medical blogging. I have found mentors and colleagues all over the world, but I have also met people from the “other side”. I have gotten to know – by means of what they choose to share with theContinue reading “Follow Friday: On The Other Side Of The Desk”