Psychiatric Spectrum
December 14, 2005
If I’ve discovered one thing about working with psychiatric patients, it’s that no day can be truly boring. Today was definitely not boring. In fact, I experienced both sides of the psychiatric spectrum today.
On the positive side, a patient got discharged today that, in my semi-professional opinion, was genuinely better and probably will not be back. During the last group he attended, he even had a major revelation. We were discussing self esteem and he seemed to be paying attention well and participating. I’m not even sure what it was that I said… but all of the sudden a look came across his face that I’ll never forget. I stopped and asked him what was going on. He told me that he suddenly realized what he’d been doing that was causing him so many problems. It was something related to his self esteem and whatever I had just said really hit home.
After the group was over, he came up to me and repeatedly thanked me for opening his eyes. He said my group on self esteem was the best group he’d participated in since being admitted. That’s a big thing for me… seeing as how the other groups are lead by 1) Other technicians like myself, 2) Certified recreational therapists, or 3) Doctoral-level psychologists. To say that my group… the group led by the new guy… was the best he’d been to was quite a compliment. As he was walking out the door to go home, he thanked me again and said that I was a big part of his recovery… and that he hoped that meant something to me. Without being TOO cheesy… it really, really did. Most of the time you just assume someone got something out of what you told them. But to hear that he not only got something from it… but that he got something major from it completely reaffirmed my choice in careers.
On the negative side, I admitted a new patient today that made me a little sad. I feel sorry for some of the patients we see. Some… I don’t. The ones who induce their mental illness with drugs or booze over and over and over again don’t get a lot of sympathy from me. Maybe I shouldn’t say that… but it’s true. Others… who are genuinely sick by no doing of their own are a different story. This guy was the epitome of the patient you just feel sorry for.
Until recently, he was a perfectly normal college student. He got good grades, had a circle of friends, and came from what appears to be a good home. From outward appearances he seemed perfectly normal. Then literally just like that… he had a psychotic break. Unfortunately, that’s what happens a lot with the psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. And he’s in the prime age range for initial onset… so, again, in my semi-professional opinion, I fear that is what we’re seeing. He was very polite… and, other than the bizarre things coming out of his mouth, seemed like any other guy you’d hang out with on a daily basis. He was really concerned with his finals that were going on this week and seemed embarrassed that he was having to come into a psychiatric hospital. I honestly felt very sorry for him.
So even though today had a major high point… it also had a major low. But I guess that’s all part of the job, huh?
Posted in Personal, Series, Work
June 16th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Derick, being able to simplify an understanding of things is one of your talents. You can have all the certified and/or doctoral-level people explaining the same things but from the audience’s point of view they could just be a bunch a words coming out of their mouths. I think when you (Derick) explain something, it actually comes from your heart. And that makes a big difference.
June 17th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
I also discovered after working a little longer at the hospital that those of us leading these RET groups actually did the majority of the real explaining up there. The rec therapists played games with patients and taught them about nutrition… stuff like that. The Ph.D.s tested them and talked to them about their lives. But I think we - the B.A.s and B.S.s - did the bulk of the real teaching up there. And more than a few patients commented that we spent more time with them anyone else at the hospital.
One of the reasons I chose to leave the hospital was because of the way it was set up. I (and the other technicians) did more teaching, more one-on-one, and more real “work” with the patients than any of rec therapists, doctors, nurses etc… yet we had the least amount of say and/or influence in treatment plans, goals for patients, etc. It was a very backward system.
But I digress… haha….