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Post by Darrah Shields on Nov 7, 2016 13:07:30 GMT -4
I really enjoyed reading this article this doctor wrote and it really got me thinking. With the media on a rant right now portraying Inpatient Psych Wards on shows such as "American Horror Story" and movies such as "Girl, Interupted" I can totally see why the population thinks that having a mental illness or working with Mental Illness can be so scandalous. There needs to be a change in how people view Psychiatry as a whole, especially since a majority of the population is dealing with a mental illness. Psychiatry is a wonderful field working first hand with people who suffer daily with mental illnesses, helping them to get back to their normal lives because lets face it, life is not easy and sometimes you may need help.
Darrah Shields MS3
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Post by Yusuf Alimi (MS3) on Nov 8, 2016 10:37:03 GMT -4
I feel like the topic of this week’s article is quite related to that which was discussed the previous week. First and foremost, it is worthy of note that the psychiatry field of medicine is quite dissimilar to other medical fields such as Surgery, OBGYN and family medicine to mention a few and although the fundamental aim of medicine is to assist individuals who might be in need due to an ailment or to prevent a disease, all medical fields achieve this in very different ways one of which is the use of in-patient wards in psychiatry. The way the general public view in-patient psychiatry, just as it is described in the article, is more or less “dealing with crazy people who have a tendency to be violent and harm other individuals”. Although this can be true for some psychiatric disorders, not all are and it all comes down to awareness and education of the general population. Millions of articles, threads and blogs can be written about this subject matter, which I do understand is a form of awareness, but if individuals of the general public don’t have a good understanding of what exactly in-psychiatry is aiming to achieve and they view it as “violent patients just locked up so as to prevent them from harming themselves and other individuals of the general public” which I deem to be partially true, then the depiction of in-patient psychiatry as described in the article will persist. I am in total accordance with the final statement in the article which describes psychiatry as being weird, unique, fun, fulfilling and challenging and this is definitely what makes it beautiful.
Yusuf Alimi (MS3)
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Post by Karl Upplegger on Nov 8, 2016 10:53:56 GMT -4
Unfortunately, there is a negative connotation with psychiatry and the practices within this particular field of medicine. When I tell friends that I am currently doing my psychiatric rotation, I usually receive the question, “So, how is it talking about feelings all day?” I commend this Resident for posting his opinions and views on inpatient psychiatry in a public forum to try and educate the masses. I believe having a positive approach to mental health and taking the time to describe our entire encounter processes and answer people’s/friend’s questions in regards to what we do in the field of psychiatry will only assist in the movement towards educating the general public.
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Post by Kathleen Jourdan on Nov 8, 2016 15:53:38 GMT -4
This article has a similar tone to the one we read last week. It describes the stigma and fear associated with mental illness. It sounds like the author is advocating for better public education and awareness of mental illness. he also is saying that without the knowledge that medically trained professionals have, the general public really has no clue what happens in an inpatient psychiatry ward. this is in part due to the cultural image that media has given up regarding these treatment facilities. What I took from it was that as up-and-coming physicians it is our job, regardless of chosen specialty, to educate and change the stigma of mental illness.
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Post by Pamella Yamada on Nov 8, 2016 16:05:27 GMT -4
As someone who is considering a career in Psychiatry and who has volunteered on psych wards in the hospital, I feel the frustration that this author describes. Even among my colleagues when I mention interest in psych there are those who question why. Depictions on movies and television (Girl Interrupted, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, American Horror Story) paint an unpleasant picture of inpatient wards. But the author points out that safety concerns and lack of insight contribute to the often horrific images that shown when restraining patients or performing ECT or lobotomies. However, we should not stigmatize those patients or the healthcare professionals involved but rather try to gain an understanding and begin viewing mental illness as we would any other disease. As a society we have come a long way but there is still more to go.
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Post by Logan Minshew on Nov 8, 2016 16:57:35 GMT -4
I believe it is interesting how psychiatry is one of the few (if not the only) specialty in the medical profession that is viewed in this light. This article addresses many of the driving factors contributing to the stereotypes associated with the specialty. As we all know the human mind tends to recall the bad events far more easily than the good. Although psychiatry has progressed what may feel like lightyears in the past century, people tend to remember procedures like lobotomies or horrifying "studies" like MK Ultra and associate those with the profession rather than things like the development of significantly safer antipsychotics, or treatment of drug resistant depression, or any of the other newer, safer, more helpful advancements in the treatment of mental illness. I think the author is correct in his statement that people fear what they don't understand; so if we want people to see psychiatry for what it is rather than what it once was, the general population has to be taught why decisions are made and how they will help the patient.
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Post by Jennifer Ganzhorn on Nov 8, 2016 19:28:34 GMT -4
I think that the average person who has never been treated for a mental health issue cannot help but think of inpatient psychiatric treatment as a horrible and terrifying experience. Images of being stripped of all possessions, locked in, electroconvulsive therapy, antipsychotic medications being forced upon patients, and having to deal with even sicker patients, these are all images that I believe the average person shares. Yes, this is the fault of pop culture, movies, Halloween, and word of mouth of previous patients, but I also do believe that it is the fault of physicians in the field as well. Depending on the severity of mental illness, the previously treated patient might not have had a physician with good bed side manner, or was able to explain to the patient, or other patient’s on the floor why something was happening. In the example from the article where the other patient was “sandwiched” between the mattresses, the patient who observed this was upset and confused by what they saw. This is understandable because they witnessed something that may have been necessary, but were unable to understand how it got to that point where “sandwiching” was the safest way to subdue to patient, to prevent harm to the staff, the patient “sandwiched”, or the other patients on the floor. I believe that it is truly hard to understand inpatient psychiatric treatment without having experienced it as well. I think that this idea applies to alot of jobs that are shrouded in mystery, with no true window into the experience except for pop culture. Prison guards are most likely asked the same questions, as are members of the armed service. Unless you’ve actually worked in the field, I think it is very difficult to appreciate the pros and cons of being an inpatient psychiatrist. There is so much misinformation out there, that it is a constant uphill battle trying to break stereotypes and misconceptions.
Jennifer Ganzhorn MS3
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Post by Andrew Milian on Nov 8, 2016 23:11:40 GMT -4
My mom (an RN) once told me that psychiatrists' join that particular field to diagnose their own problems. That being said over the years psychiatry has been misrepresented in movies, books, and even video games among other things. This misrepresentation of frightening psych wards, and dangerous procedures (lobotomy) has given our population a terrible view of psychiatry. The writer of the article said he would get annoyed if someone asked about his profession, but how are people going to learn the reality of how psychiatry works if we are annoyed to educate the population.
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Post by Jerome Brathwaite on Nov 10, 2016 12:56:42 GMT -4
For me this article strikes similar points to the last Halloween article. The author is trying to change the narrative that is often present when the topic of psychiatry comes up. I think that these efforts should be commended and encouraged. I believe that education of the public is one way to alleviate the stigma associated with psychiatry. People do fear what they do not know and they can only come to know if they are allowed to see things in a light other than what is portrayed in the media. Jerome Brathwaite (MS3)
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Post by Opeyemi Owa on Nov 10, 2016 16:31:15 GMT -4
I think it would be really hard for anyone who hasn't gotten a first hand experience in an inpatient psych ward to understand what really goes on in there. While being exaggerated and perceived with a very negative connotation, most of the things that the layman thinks happens in the wards really do, people are really put in straight jacks and need to be sedated when they get aggressive, but this is neccasary. I challenge anyone who objects to come up with better ways to manage the patients in a way that upholds safety standards and protects the other patients and the staff. The honest truth is that anyone who ventures into this field will need to prepare for these remarks, and march on keeping in mind the reason why theychose this specialty.
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Post by Nnenia Francis on Nov 14, 2016 0:17:24 GMT -4
I can completely understand what the author of this piece is trying to get across. The in-patient psych ward has scary imagery that has been perpetuated by the media and as the author accounts former psychiatric patients themselves. The field of psychiatry in medicine is one that is difficult for people to wrap their heads around. Psychiatrist are involved in helping one’s mind with all its confusions, unknowns and intricacies. I believe that the problem also stems from the lack of understanding and belief some feel towards the reality of mental illness. Everyone is put under the blanket term ‘crazy’ and are therefore de-humanized. I believe that everyone working in that field gets enveloped in that bubble of de-humanization. This leads to people being unable to understand the compassion that those in the psychiatry field feel. I believe that this article is a first step towards trying to shed that stigma and I hope that in the future the need for this article won’t exist.
Nnenia Francis (MS3)
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Post by Jenny Thomas (MS3) on Nov 14, 2016 21:02:28 GMT -4
This article is literally the story of my life. Whenever a family member of mine would ask me about what specialty I was looking into, I would mention that I was interested in family medicine or psychiatry. The replies I would get would focus solely on the “psychiatry” answer and would be followed up by “why don’t you want to be a real doctor?” or other questions similar which was basically undermining psychiatry as a respectably field of medicine. I blame this largely to the negative image society has placed on psychiatry added with the fear of what some have seen on television.
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Post by Bisoh Chumbow on Nov 19, 2016 0:09:40 GMT -4
I was shocked to find out that, when surveyed, 54% of members of the public did not realize that psychiatrists have a medical degree. It is, indeed, shameful that public perception regarding Psychiatrists are so outmoded, and that there are still so many misconceptions about the field of Psychiatry that create a stigma for those working in it. Is part of the reason for this stigma due to medical students and other doctors thinking that treatments in psychiatry are “unscientific,” compared to treatments in other specialties? Do they still carry around a belief that psychiatric treatment is inhumane as was depicted by movies such as Silence of the Lambs? I think that no matter what their reason may be, it is very important for the APA to find new ways to increase awareness regarding the role of Psychiatry and the importance of Mental Health to the general public. And while they are at it, wouldn’t it be great if they could provide free membership to students interested in pursuing Psychiatry as a career, just like the Royal College of Psychiatry (UK) does?
Bisoh Chumbow (MS-4)
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Madona Pakkam (MS3)
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Post by Madona Pakkam (MS3) on Nov 21, 2016 10:08:56 GMT -4
This article highlights the existing stigma with inpatient psychiatry. Education and awareness is necessary to kill these myths and stigma to rest. As the author mentions, everything in psychiatry is atypical, whether it is the use of drugs or therapy or both (combination). Raising an awareness and involving people and forming communities is best way to understand and acknowledge mental illness and how it's dealt with in a psych ward.
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Post by Ajibloa Babatunde on Nov 29, 2016 0:51:23 GMT -4
Many people do not really understand what the psychiatry is and are always afraid of the psychiatry, and most often times, the patients with mental disorders face a lot of discriminations, some are not even allowed to be seen in some environment. The stigma on impatient psychiatry is very alluring which should be discouraged. People should be enlightened about them so that problem would be half solved and diminished. Many people are very clueless about goes on in the inpatient psychiatry, thereby would think it as a taboo to help patients who are suffering from mental disorders.
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