“I am not defined by my DIAGNOSIS”, a 32 year old female, diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia said to me. It was the first week of my Psychiatry rotation in United States as a visiting medical student at Kings County Hospital Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn. A final year medical student from India, I was eager to understand Behavioral Health, keeping the message of this patient in my mind. I have always been fascinated by the way a human mind works. My favourite section in the library included writings by psychologists and philosophers like Ayn Rand, Jhumpa Lahiri, Paulo Coelho, Robin Sharma, Sadhguru. I have been driven to understand not only the “how” of thought processes and interpersonal interaction, but the “why”. Why …show more content…
Being an active member of Art of Living Foundation, I have realised how profoundly our thought process affects the course of medical conditions we suffer from. Psychiatry thrills me, challenges my intellect, helps me write about my experiences on human relations and life. In a country like India where seeking treatment for mental illness is still a stigma, I wish that the training that I get in United States will help me contribute to improve this situation in my own country eventually. “Psychiatrists are only for crazy people,” is the belief of many. Depression is seen as a “weakness,” and Bipolar Disorder is synonymous with being “crazy.”It is difficult to view mental illness as a disease as many of us have no knowledge about its etiology. Psychiatry, a beautiful fusion of science and art. I love medicine but I also love art, hence, making Psychiatry my field of interest. To further strengthen my knowledge and understanding of this subject , I took up the position of Research Scholar in the University of Miami and have been working on......